


A Spark of Hope

by AKgirl24



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-10-06 06:54:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10328570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKgirl24/pseuds/AKgirl24
Summary: Kelly Severide and Grace Everly became instant friends upon her arrival at Firehouse 51.  In fact, they would probably be together if it weren't for the fact the Everly was already engaged.  But would everything really fall into place if there was no ring on Grace's finger?  A story of love, lust, and desperate times calling for desperate measures, A Spark of Hope follows the story of one of Firehouse 51's most passionate romances.*This story does not follow the show exactly.  Shay passed a year or two before Grace gets to 51, Dawson and Casey are married, Louie has already come and gone, and most of the calls will be ones that I made up.  Thank you for your understanding!





	1. Chapter 1

“Grace Everly, I swear that if you walk out that door it will be the end of us.”

I looked down at my hand, resting on the doorknob. The diamond ring on my left hand shimmered as the sunlight from a nearby open window hit it. I released the doorknob and turned around slowly. Andrew stood there, his hazel eyes ablaze with anger and frustration.

“Oh, Andrew. I love how you think that threatening me would make me stay. You made your bed when you cheated on me with your ex. Now go lay in it.”

I pulled the ring off my finger and shoved it into my pocket before turning and walking out the door.

____________________________________________

“Everly!”

A loud voice in my ear forced me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.

“What do you want, Dawson?” I asked, pushing my partner/PIC away from me.

“There she is!” Hermann said, laughing.

I stuck my tongue out at him before turning to Gabby and punching her in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” she asked, sitting next to me at the table.

“Don’t yell in my ear like that!” I said, laughing.

“I only yelled because you weren’t responding,” she defended, holding her hands up in surrender.

“Sorry. I was just thinking,” I explained.

“Were you thinking about Andrew again?” she asked quietly, sympathy flashing in her brown eyes.

I sighed and nodded. It had been three months since I had left Andrew alone in our apartment. I had finally decided it was time to stop hiding and had left my ring at home before coming to shift this morning. I had been living with Gabby and Matt, but nobody else knew what had happened, so I was dreading the questions that were sure to arise when people realized there was no diamond on my finger.

“Grace, it’s okay to be sad,” Gabby said, squeezing my hand gently.

“I’m not sad. I’m just disappointed.”

Dawson rolled her eyes but didn’t push further. I pushed away from the table and headed towards the bunkroom in search of my phone. I dumped the contents of my bag onto my bunk, riffling through the contents to no avail.

“Looking for this?” I heard a familiar voice ask.

I turned and saw Severide standing there, holding my phone. I took it and shoved it into my pocket.

“Where was it?” I asked.

“I found it on the apparatus floor. I meant to give it to you at roll call, but I completely forgot,” he said, watching with amusement as I shoved all of my things back into my black leather duffle.

“It must have fallen out of my pocket. Thank you,” I said, shooting him a smile.

“No problem. Are you okay though? You looked pretty distracted earlier.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a crazy few days,” I explained.

A look of skepticism played across Severide’s face as he opened his mouth to say something. He was interrupted by the sound of the alarm bells.

Truck 81. Squad 3. Ambulance 61. Person trapped.

“We’re not done with this conversation,” Severide said as we headed towards the door.

I rolled my eyes and followed him out towards the apparatus floor. Dawson was already in the ambulance when I got there.

“Let’s go, girl!” she said, starting the engine.

I slid into the passenger side and shut the door, buckling my seatbelt as Gabby pulled out into the street, sirens blaring.

“You’re awfully quiet,” I said, looking over at my best friend.

“I was just thinking about some stuff that Matt said over the weekend,” Gabby said, still focused on the road.

“What did he say?”

“He feels guilty. He was the one who introduced you to Andrew and he hates seeing you hurting. Matt sees you as a sister,” she explained.

“He shouldn’t feel guilty at all. I’ve played matchmaker for multiple people who have broken up before. It’s not his fault at all. Should I talk to him about it?” I asked.

“If he doesn’t listen to me then I might bring in reinforcements,” Gabby joked, pulling up to the scene.

We hopped out of the ambo and took in the scene in front of us. A young woman was sobbing hysterically in front of Chief Boden, pointing towards a nearby building. We looked up and saw a man dangling from one of the windows on the top story. The only thing that was keeping him from falling was the hood of his jacket snagged on the windowsill.

Severide and Casey started shouting orders to the rest of the guys while Dawson and I pulled the gurney, backboard, and jump bags out of the ambo. Boden headed over to us with the young woman.

“Dawson, Everly. This is Hannah,” Boden said, handing off the still crying woman to us.

“Hi, Hannah. I’m Gabby and this is Grace. What happened?”

“Ryan was trying to fix the window and he said he got really dizzy all of the sudden. The next thing I knew, he was unconscious and he started to fall out the window. I tried to stop him but I wasn’t fast enough. Luckily, his jacket got caught and stopped him from falling,” she explained, wiping tears from her eyes as Gabby turned her so that she couldn’t see what Squad and Truck were doing.

“We need a medic!” Capp yelled as Squad managed to free the man.

Dawson handed the woman back over to Boden and we raced over to the man.

“His jacket was cutting off his air supply. He’s barely breathing,” Severide said, his eyes full of concern.

Dawson grabbed her stethoscope and listened to his lungs while I opened the jump bag and got an IV into his arm.

“Severide, put pressure on that laceration on his forehead. Everly, push Etomidate and Sux. We need to intubate.” Gabby instructed.

I grabbed the requested medications and tossed Severide a wad of gauze. While he applied pressure to the cut, I pushed the medicines through the IV.

“Meds are in. He’s ready for intubation,” I said, handing the kit to Gabby.

“Check for lung sounds,” she said a few moments later.

I pressed my stethoscope against his chest, listening carefully.

“You’re in.”

“Okay. Let’s get him in the ambo. Hannah, you can ride up front with me,” Gabby said.

Severide and Casey helped me load Ryan and the supplies into the ambo while Dawson directed Hannah to the front seat. When everyone was ready, Gabby turned on the sirens and headed towards Chicago Med.

I kept squeezing the bag, delivering much-needed air into Ryan’s lungs. We made it to the hospital in less than 10 minutes. The doors opened and Maggie was at the doors, waiting for us.

“23-year-old male. Arrived on-scene to him hanging out a window by the hood of his jacket. The jacket was cutting off his air supply. Intubated on scene and stats remained in normal range throughout the rest of the call,” I said as we wheeled Ryan into the ER.

“Okay. You’re heading to Trauma 2,” Maggie directed.

Once Ryan and Hannah were settled, I restocked the ambulance while Gabby finished up the paperwork. After everything was settled in the ambo, I headed back inside to find my partner. I found her at the Nurse’s Station, talking to April and Maggie.

“Hey, Grace!” April said with a smile.

“I was just about to ask about you,” Maggie said.

“Oh yeah? What did you want to know?” I asked.

“I noticed that you weren’t wearing your ring when you brought in your patient. I was going to ask, but now that I think about it, it’s probably just so you don’t have to worry about losing it on a call. So never mind,” Maggie said, laughing.

I didn’t say anything. I just smiled and laughed, quietly grateful that I didn’t have to tell anyone the truth just yet. Gabby and I said goodbye and headed back to the ambulance. Once we were moving, I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“You okay?” Gabby asked, glancing over at me as we waited at a stoplight.

I nodded, not opening my eyes.

“I just don’t know what I’m going to tell people. Andrew is still a good person deep down. He just made a mistake,” I said, leaning my head against the window.

“Grace, he cheated on you. He is not a good person. Good people don’t cheat on their fiancées.”

“I know, I know,” I said with a sigh.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re going to have to tell everyone soon. They all think that they’re attending a wedding in two weeks,” Dawson said, pulling the rig into the garage and killing the engine.

“Hey, girls. How’s Ryan doing?” Severide asked as we made our way past the Squad table.

“He was stable when we left. He should make a relatively full recovery as long as there isn’t any brain damage. Hopefully we got there in time,” I said, with a small smile.

As I was talking, a strand of hair escaped my ponytail and I reached up to brush it out of my face. I saw a look of confusion on Severide’s face when he noticed my bare ring finger and I quickly shoved my hand into my pocket and headed inside. I made a beeline for the bunkroom, but I wasn’t fast enough.

“Everly!” Severide called out.

I stopped and took a deep, calming breath before turning around. Severide was standing there, concern in his blue eyes. He gestured for me to follow him and I reluctantly walked towards his quarters. He shut the door behind us before sitting in his desk chair.

“You aren’t wearing your ring,” he said, looking me in the eye.

“I just took it off for the shift,” I said, not looking at him.

“Everly, we’ve been best friends for six years. I know when you’re lying.”

I sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at the floor.

“He cheated on me, Kelly. He cheated on me with that blonde bitch that he dated before we met. He slept with her so many times and I was just too blind to see it. And then I caught them together when I left shift early because I was sick. We were supposed to get married. He was supposed to love me.”

As I talked, tears began to roll down my cheeks. I had been holding everything inside because I didn’t want to subject Dawson and Casey to my misery, but for some reason I just couldn’t hold it all in any longer.

“I’m so sorry,” Severide said quietly.

I wiped away my tears and pulled myself together, taking a long breath.

“It’s okay. It’s fine. I’d rather it happened now then after we got married,” I said, standing up.

“Don’t do that, Grace,” Severide said.

“Do what?”

“Shut down. You were with Andrew for five years. Don’t act like this isn’t hurting you.”

“Kelly, I can’t let this affect me. I have more important things to do than sit around and cry. I have to make phone calls to cancel things and try to get deposits back. And I have to see if I can return my dress. I’ve got too many things to do.”

“Let me help you.”

I shook my head and turned to leave.

“I have to go tell everyone so they know they don’t have to go to the wedding,” I said.

Severide followed me out to the kitchen, but the alarm bells went off before I could say a word.

Ambulance 61. Child in distress.

“Ready?” I asked, looking over at Dawson.

“Kids are always the worst,” she groaned, standing.

“Be safe,” Casey said, kissing his wife while Severide gave me a quick hug.

We arrived on scene to find a four-year-old passed out on the floor with his mother sitting next to him, trying to wake him.

“What’s your name? What happened?” I asked, kneeling on the opposite the mother and opening the jump bag.

“My name is Ella. I was making lunch and Max was playing around the house. All of the sudden he came into the kitchen and asked for a glass of water before collapsing,” the mother said, clearly panicked.

“Does your son have a history of any medical conditions?” Dawson asked, grabbing a glucose meter while I took the boy’s pulse.

“No, but he hasn’t gone to the doctor since he was two. He’s been terrified of doctors since his dad died,” she explained.

“His blood sugar is at a 32. We need to give him a glucose injection and get him to the hospital,” Dawson said, looking at the blood sugar meter.

I grabbed the syringe from the jump bag and injected it into Max’s arm. I put a bandage over the injection site and Dawson collected our supplies while I picked Max up and carried him out to the ambulance.

“Can I drive?” I asked.

Dawson looked at me with concern for a second before nodding and jumping in the back with Ella and Max. I drove quickly and carefully, sirens blaring. April greeted us at the doors and helped us get Max settled.

As Dawson and I turned to leave, Ella grabbed my arm.

“Thank you for saving my son,” she said, tears in her eyes.

“Anytime,” I said, giving her an encouraging smile.

When we got back to the rig, Dawson looked over at me from the driver’s seat with a confused expression.

“You hate driving,” she said, turning out of the hospital lot.

“I was on the call when his father died. It was when I picked up that extra shift a few weeks after you and Matt got married. That kid is a spitting image of his father and there was a picture of them all in his wallet,” I explained.

“What happened to the dad?”

“He got hit by a drunk driver when he pulled over to help a single mom whose car broke down. By the time we got to him, he had already gone into shock. He had four broken ribs, a broken femur, internal bleeding, and dozens of lacerations. We did everything we could, but it wasn’t enough. He died right in front of me.”

“Wow. That’s crazy. Why didn’t you tell me about it?” Gabby asked.

“You had your own thing going on with Louie and everything that entailed. I didn’t want to drag you into more despair. You were also newly married and in that little happy bubble of you and Casey. I couldn’t pop that,” I said.

“Grace, don’t be ridiculous. I am always here for you. You know that,” Gabby said, stopping at a light and turning to look at me.

“I know, Dawson. I’m always here for you too,” I reminded her with a smile.

When we got back to Firehouse 51, I took a deep breath and hopped out of the ambo. I looked around and noticed that Squad 3 was missing.

“Did Squad get called out?” I asked.

“No, they didn’t. Severide wanted to gas up and take a quick ride,” Casey said, kissing his wife on the forehead.

“Damn it,” I muttered, walking towards the refrigerator.

“What’s wrong?” Otis asked, sitting on the counter next to me.

“Nothing. I’m just tired,” I said, grabbing a bottle of water and a cup of applesauce from the fridge.

I sat at the table and had just stuck my spoon into the container of applesauce when the alarm bells went off.

Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Structure fire.

I sighed and tossed my spoon into the sink before grabbing a plastic one and hauling ass to the ambo, applesauce in hand.

“Seriously?” Gabby asked, laughing.

“What? I like applesauce,” I said, shoveling a spoonful into my mouth as we pulled onto the street.

“Everly, you single-handedly keep the applesauce companies in business,” she said.

I didn’t respond. I just stared at her as I ate another spoonful. We turned onto the street of the fire and got out. Truck and Squad ran into the burning building while Dawson and I grabbed the gurney and our jump bags. Hermann came out of the building a minute later, his arm around a man who seemed to be arguing with the firefighter.

“I don’t want treatment,” the man yelled at Hermann as they walked over to us.

“Sorry, Kenny. My job is to take you out of the burning building and over to the medics. They choose what they want to do with you,” Hermann said, clearly not sorry.

“Just let us check your vitals and put a quick bandage on that cut on your leg, Kenny,” Dawson said calmly.

“Fine. But I ain’t paying you,” the man said, sitting on the gurney.

Hermann just laughed and headed back towards the burning building. Dawson started checking the man’s vitals while I grabbed a handful of gauze and a bandage. We finished with Kenny pretty quickly and sent him on his way with strict instructions to watch for infection. He took one look at Dawson’s serious expression and nodded quickly when asked if he was going to change the dressing like instructed.

“Sweet guy,” I said with a laugh.

Dawson just made a face at me while we loaded the gurney back into the ambulance. We climbed into the back and started to put things back while the boys finished up fighting the fire. When the fire was out, Severide and Casey walked over to us.

“Where’s the man Hermann pulled out?” Casey asked, smiling at Dawson.

“We patched him up and sent him on his way. He refused further treatment,” she replied, pointing to the signed refusal form on the gurney.

“Well, he didn’t seem too bad so I think he’ll be fine,” Severide said with a laugh.

I nodded in agreement and climbed back into the ambo to continue putting things away. Dawson joined me a few seconds later and Casey and Severide started back towards their men. I was about to radio Chief Boden and let him know we were going to head back to 51 when a semi came out of nowhere, slamming into Ambulance 61.


	2. Chapter 2

Severide’s POV

 

Matt and I heard the sound of Everly screaming and turned around just in time to see a semi collide with Ambulance 61. The ambo rotated and flipped onto its side, crushed by the truck.

“Gabby! Grace!” Matt yelled, running towards the accident.

I heard the rest of Firehouse 51 yelling and running as we all raced towards our girls. Casey and I got there first, calling out for Dawson and Everly. The driver of the semi stumbled out of the truck and headed towards us, apologizing profusely.

“My tire blew! I lost control! I’m so sorry!” he yelled, hobbling over.

We saw the gurney shift inside the ambulance as Gabby struggled to move. I saw Grace’s chestnut curls farther in and raced towards her. I gasped quietly when I got close enough to see what had actually happened. Gabby looked relatively okay. She just had a gash on her leg and some scrapes across her forehead.

Grace was a whole other story. There was blood pooling around her from a cut that ran adjacent to her hairline from behind her left ear to the back of her neck. Most of her body was being crushed by the gurney, but I had a feeling it wasn’t anything good. I grabbed a nearby wad of gauze and pressed it to the cut on her neck, applying pressure.

“Grace, stay with me. Please stay with me,” I said, my heart breaking at the thought of losing her.

I couldn’t lose Everly. Not after everything that happened with Shay. I could not lose another person that I loved.

“I need a backboard and a c-collar over here now!” I yelled.

“Grace?” I heard Dawson say behind me.

I turned and saw Dawson standing there, Casey helping support her weight. There were tears in her eyes, but I wasn’t sure if it was because she was in pain or because of Everly.

Otis came running up with a c-collar, followed closely by Cruz with a backboard. I took the c-collar and gently wrapped it around Grace, trapping the gauze underneath it. I ran my fingers over her blood-drenched hair, brushing it out of her face.

“Grace, you’ve got to wake up. Come on,” I said, rubbing my knuckles along her sternum.

There was no response and I could feel my heart drop to my stomach. A few moments later, a second ambulance rolled up. The transferred Grace onto the backboard and loaded her onto the gurney and into the ambulance.

“Sev, go with Everly. Truck will take Gabby to Med and Squad can meet us there,” Casey said.

I looked to Boden for confirmation and he nodded his agreement. I immediately got in the back with Grace and Matt closed the doors. I heard the sirens get switched on and we raced towards Chicago Med. I watched as Chout worked on Grace. He was in the middle of starting an IV when Everly started convulsing.

“I’m going to have to drill. I need you to hold her left leg down,” Chout said, grabbing an IO kit.

I held Grace’s leg still while Chout cut her pants up to her mid-thigh, pushing the fabric out of the way. He got the drill ready before looking up at me.

“You might want to look away for this,” he suggested.

I took his advice and looked at Grace’s face. I heard the sound of the drill and I flinched a little as the needle was driven into her bone marrow. Chout pushed Ativan and the seizing subsided.

“She should wake up in a second,” he said, moving to sit in the seat by Grace’s head.

A few minutes later, she still hadn’t come to and Chout was beginning to look worried. I opened my mouth to ask what was happening but before I could get a word out, we had arrived at Med. The doors opened and Maggie was there, along with Dr. Halstead and Dr. Rhodes.

“Talk to me,” Maggie said.

“26 year-old female paramedic. She was unrestrained in the back of Ambulance 61 when a semi crashed into it. Positive LOC. Lacerations to the neck, arms, back, and legs. She started convulsing en-route, so I pushed 2mg of Ativan. She has not regained consciousness,” Chout said, wheeling Grace into the ER.

“Okay. You’re going to Trauma 2,” Maggie instructed.

I followed the team of doctors and nurses into the room, but stood off to the side so as not to get in their way. I watched as they worked, desperately hoping that things were okay. A few seconds later, I heard rapid beeping from the machines next to her bed.

“She’s crashing! We need to intubate!” Dr. Rhodes yelled.

I watched in horror as they intubated Grace, a nurse standing nearby with the paddles, ready to shock the young paramedic if needed.

“Her stats are rising,” Halstead said, a touch of relief in his voice.

“There’s free fluid in her belly. She’s bleeding somewhere in there,” Rhodes said, running an ultrasound wand across Grace’s abdomen.

“Let’s get her down to CT and see what’s going on.”

“I’ll let them know you’re coming,” Maggie said, already dialing the number.

Dr. Rhodes looked over at me before looking to Will. Halstead stepped away from Grace and headed towards me. He led me into the hallway and we watched as Grace was wheeled towards CT.

“What’s going on?” I asked, desperate for information.

“She’s in pretty rough shape. We’re going to get some scans and see what’s going on inside her body and go from there. It looks like there’s internal bleeding which may require surgery, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. There’s some kind of head trauma, but we won’t know the extent until we see the scans.”

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked.

“I’ll keep you updated as we know more,” Halstead said, avoiding my question.

I nodded and took a deep breath. The doors to the ER opened and Matt came in, followed by the rest of Truck and Squad, carrying a protesting Gabby. He deposited her into a wheelchair and looked to Maggie for instructions. She led them into one of the open rooms and signaled for Dr. Manning to follow her.

“How’s Everly?” Otis asked as I headed towards them.

“They just took her down for a CT. We won’t know much until after they see the scans. She seized in the ambulance and then her stats bottomed out when we got here so they had to intubate. All they can say right now is traumatic brain injury and potential internal bleeding,” I said.

“She’ll be fine. Grace is stronger than all of us,” Herrmann said.

Gabby and Matt joined us in the waiting room a little while later. Gabby had only needed a handful of stitches in her leg and a bandage above her right temple. She gave me a much-needed hug and a quick hand squeeze before sitting in one of the waiting room chairs.

We all stood up when Dr. Rhodes came out into the waiting room.

“She’s in the ICU getting prepped for emergency surgery. She has some internal bleeding that we need to fix. There is a build up of pressure in her brain, but we’ll keep an eye on it. She doesn’t need an epidural sensor yet and we’re hoping that the intracranial pressure will go down on its own.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“No problem. Either Halstead or I will keep you all update.”

We all thanked Dr. Rhodes and he gave me an encouraging smile and a clap on the shoulder before heading back into the ICU.

“Alright everyone. We still have a couple hours left on shift. I’ve already let headquarters know that Ambulance 61 is out of service. Casey and Severide. Which one of you wants to stay here and update the house on Everly?”

Casey and I looked at each other and I shook my head slightly. I couldn’t stay here. I would drive myself crazy waiting for news and I wouldn’t be able to handle it if Grace died.

“I’ll stay here,” Casey said.

“Okay. Dawson, do you want to stay here, go back to 51, or go home?” Boden asked, looking at the injured paramedic.

“I’ll stay here with Casey and keep everyone updated on Grace,” she said firmly, almost daring her husband to argue with her.

Casey just nodded, not protesting Gabby’s choice. The rest of us headed back to Firehouse 51 in a tense silence, nobody saying anything.

When we got back to 51, Squad settled at our table and Truck went into the common room while Boden went straight to his office and closed the door. I picked up one of the newspapers that was scattered across the table and started reading.

“Incoming,” Cruz said a few minutes later.

I looked up and saw Jay Halstead and Adam Ruzek walking up the driveway. I stood and went to meet them.

“Hey. What’s up?” I asked, shaking their hands.

“How are Dawson and Everly?” Ruzek asked.

Ruzek and Halstead were almost as close with Grace as I was, so I understood their worry.

“She’s in emergency surgery to stop some internal bleeding. She also has a traumatic brain injury, but they’re not operating yet. They’re going to monitor her and hope that meds can control the brain swelling on their own.”

“Keep us posted?” Jay asked.

“Of course. Is that all you came about?” I asked, slightly confused.

“No, we’re here on police business too. Is Boden around? We need to talk to you, him, and Casey,” Adam said.

“Boden is here, but Casey is at the hospital with Gabby and Grace. Do you need me to call him back here?” I asked.

“That would be great if he can get away for a few minutes,” Ruzek said.

I nodded and directed them to the common area while I called Casey. He showed up a little while later, and we all headed to Chief Boden’s office.

“How can I help you?” Boden asked, standing from his chair and coming around to the front of his desk.

“We’re here in regards to the accident that put Grace Everly in the hospital and injured Gabby Dawson,” Jay said while Adam pulled a notepad and pen out of his pocket.

“Why? The man said his tire blew and he lost control of the vehicle. It sounded like an accident,” I said.

“We checked his story and it doesn’t match up. Can you identify him for us?” Adam asked, holding out a photo array.

We all looked at the photos and pointed out the same man.

“That is Tanner Martin. We reviewed security cam footage from a bakery across the street and it shows Martin hitting Ambulance 61 and then slashing one of own tires to make it look like it had blown. It’s looking like this was attempted murder,” Jay said.

“Why the hell would he try to kill Dawson and Everly?” Casey asked, clearly angry.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. Have either of the girls said anything about making an enemy or being followed or anything out of the ordinary?” Ruzek asked.

“Gabby hasn’t said anything to me. And Everly has been living with us for a few months, but she hasn’t said anything either,” Casey said.

“Why was Grace living with you and Dawson?” Jay asked.

Matt hesitated. I could tell he didn’t want to be the one to spill Grace’s secret, so I stepped in.

“Grace and Andrew split. She moved in with Dawson and Casey after she found out he had been cheating on her. It sounded like it was a pretty ugly split,” I said.

Jay, Adam, and Chief Boden all looked at me in shock. I could tell that they wanted to know more, but none of them pushed for more information out of respect for Grace.

“Maybe Andrew has something to do with this. We’ll look into it,” Ruzek said, putting away his notepad.

“Andrew is a good person. He wouldn’t try to kill Grace or Gabby,” Casey defended.

“I’m sorry, but we have to check out every possible lead. We just want to make sure whoever was a part of this, get brought to justice,” Jay said.

Matt just nodded understandingly, still clearly not liking the idea of a friend of his being accused of attempting to kill his wife and her best friend.

“Is Dawson still over at Med?” Ruzek asked, putting away his notepad.

“Yes. She’s waiting for Everly to get out of surgery and getting an x-ray of her leg,” Casey said.

“Okay. We’re going to head over there and talk to her and check in on Grace. Thank you for your time,” Jay said, shaking Chief Boden’s hand.

“Anytime. Keep me posted on this case?” Boden requested.

“Of course,” Ruzek assured.

Jay, Adam, Casey, and I all headed out to the driveway.

“Casey, Voight wanted me to tell you that he’s willing to hand this case over to another team if you don’t want him working on it,” Jay said.

“No, I want Intelligence on this. Including Voight. Someone tried to kill my wife and one of our best friends. I want you all working this,” Matt said without hesitation.

Both Ruzek and Halstead nodded before getting in their car and driving towards the hospital. Casey said a quick goodbye to everyone and headed in the same direction. We all sat quietly, doing our own things, waiting for the alarm bells to go off. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long.

Truck 81, Squad 3. Assist the police.

We all headed out to the apparatus floor geared up quickly. When we got to the scene, we were greeted by one of the multiple police officers on-scene.

“I’m Lieutenant Severide. What’s going on?” I asked.

“We have a man who barricaded himself in the women’s locker room. He’s unarmed, but we need you to break the door down,” the officer said.

Herrmann and I exchanged looks before grabbing our halligans and motioning for our men to follow us. The officer led us to the locker room before stepping aside. I jammed my halligan between the door and the frame and yanked.

“Herrmann, come help me,” I said.

Herrmann slammed his halligan against mine, driving it deeper into the space. When it was all the way in, he dropped his halligan and grabbed onto mine, helping me wrench the door open. Once the door was open, a handful of officers ran in to arrest the offender.

“Well that was fun,” I said, heading back outside.

“What an idiot,” Otis said.

We all nodded in agreement before loading up and heading back to the house. My phone rang just as we pulled into Firehouse 51. I looked at the caller ID and saw Matt’s name and photo.

“Hey, Casey. Any news?” I asked as everyone crowded around me.

“Severide, I need you here now,” Matt said, his voice shaking.

“Matt, what’s going on?” I asked, worried.

“Gabby’s in emergency surgery. Her kidneys and spleen started hemorrhaging and they had to take her in to stop the bleeding. They didn’t catch it before because she was just sore all over. I can’t lose her and Grace, Severide. I can’t do it.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there. Hang tight,” I said, already heading towards the locker room.

I hung up and shoved my phone into my pocket before grabbing my bag and heading to Chief Boden’s office.

“Chief, I have to go to Med. Casey needs a friend. Gabby started hemorrhaging internally and she’s in emergency surgery. I think he’s worried that something will happen like when they lost the baby and I can’t let him go through this alone,” I explained.

“Go. Be with them. I’ll call headquarters and see if they can take 51 out of service for the shift. If so, we’ll all be right behind you,” Boden said, picking up his phone.

“Thank you, Chief.”

I ran to my quarters and grabbed a few things before heading back out to the common room.

“Severide! What the hell is going on?” Cruz asked.

“Chief will fill you in. I’ve got to get to Med,” I said.

While I was driving to the hospital, all I could think about was how Dawson had saved my life after Shay died. And then when Everly cam to 51, she made me realize that it was okay to move on. Shay would have loved Grace and as much as it broke my heart to know that they would never meet, I knew that Shay would approve.

I parked and headed inside, making a beeline for the surgery waiting room. I found Matt pacing back and forth, talking to someone on the phone. He looked like hell, but I decided I wasn’t going to mention it because I probably didn’t look much better.

“Hey,” I said when Casey ended his phone call.

“Hi,” he replied.

I could see the anxiety and worry in every line of my best friend’s face. He twisted his wedding ring absentmindedly as he started at the doors to the surgical floor, willing for someone to come out and give him an update.

“Matt, they’re both going to be okay,” I said, only partially believing my own words.

“I can’t lose them both, Sev,” he said, tears in his eyes.

“I know, Matt. I know,” I said.

I knew that Casey was in a world of hurt. Usually he didn’t get so emotional this quickly, but that was his wife and one of his closest friends behind those doors. I was going through the exact same thing, but on a much lower level. I loved both of those women, but Casey was married to one of them. I had to keep reminding myself that what Matt was going through was worse than my own suffering.

The doors opened and Dr. Halstead came out, looking exhausted.

“Casey, Severide,” he said.

“How are they?” I asked.

“Grace is out of surgery and Gabby should be out in the next hour or two. We managed to stop Grace’s internal bleeding, but the swelling in her brain hasn’t gone down. We’ll do another scan in 12 hours and if it hasn’t improved by then, we’ll have to do a craniotomy to relieve some of the pressure. Hopefully the meds will start to work though and we won’t have to open her up. Until then, we’re going to give her another blood transfusion just to be safe and to help get her strength up.”

“What about Gabby?” Matt asked.

“Gabby is doing well so far. Dr. Rhodes is working on her. He stopped the bleeding in her kidney and is almost done with her spleen. So far, there haven’t been any complications and we’re hoping to keep it that way. Either he or I will be out here in a few hours to give you an update. Give the nurses a little bit to get Grace settled and then you can go see her,” Will said.

“Thank you, Doctor,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Anytime.”

Will headed back through the doors and left Matt and I standing there. The main doors behind us opened and the rest of Firehouse 51 trailed in. By the time we had relayed the update that Will had just given and answered their onslaught of questions to the best of our abilities, a nurse came out and told us that Grace was settled and we could go back to see her one at a time.

“Severide, you should go first,” Boden said.

“Thank you,” I said.

I followed the nurse to Grace’s room, stopping just outside the glass door. I saw her laying there, all bandaged and hooked up to a ventilator and I almost turned around and left.

“Are you okay?” the nurse asked, looking at me concerned.

I nodded and slowly slid open the door, stepping into the room. The sounds of the machines filled the otherwise silent area. It was slightly unnerving to see the blood entering her body from the bag hung on the IV stand. I took a deep breath and sat in the chair that one of the nurses had put next to the bed.

“Hey, Grace. It’s Kelly. Everyone from Firehouse 51 is here. They all want to see you, so I won’t stay too long. I just wanted to remind you that I love you. You’re my best friend. You aren’t allowed to leave me,” I said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall.

I kissed her hand and stood to leave when all of the sudden I felt her squeeze my hand. I looked down and watched her bright green eyes flutter open.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is a little bit shorter. I hope you still enjoy! Please feel free to comment and critique!

Everly’s POV

Everything hurt. Every bone in my body ached. And to top it off, I had a headache from hell. I could hear a voice talking, but I was so distracted by the pain that I couldn’t tell who it was. I forced my eyes open and came face to face with a very desperate looking Kelly Severide.

“Hey,” he said, relief replacing the concern on his face.

I opened my mouth to reply, but my throat and mouth were so dry that nothing came out. Severide poured a cup of water from a nearby pitcher and pressed a straw to my lips. I took a long drink and cleared my throat.

“What happened?” I croaked.

“Do you remember the accident?”

I tried to nod, but my head hurt too much.

“Yeah, vaguely. I just remember seeing the semi coming towards us,” I said.

“The semi hit you and flipped the ambo. You were trapped under the gurney. You got pretty banged up. There’s a lot of swelling in your brain so they’re giving you meds to try and get it under control. You had surgery to stop some internal bleeding,” Severide said.

“What about Gabby?”

“When she was first evaluated, she just seemed to have a gash on her leg and a couple of scratches. A few hours ago, she collapsed and they found that she had internal hemorrhaging so they took her into emergency surgery.”

“I have to see her. She has to be okay,” I said, struggling to sit up.

Kelly pressed me gently back onto the bed.

“Grace, you can’t move. You’re still recovering from some pretty serious injuries. You need to rest. Besides, Dawson is still in surgery. She won’t be out for at least another hour.”

“She has to be okay,” I repeated, tears slipping down my cheeks.

“She’s going to be fine. I’m going to go let the nurses know that you’re awake,” he said, standing up to leave.

“Please don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone,” I said desperately.

“I’m just going to get the nurse. I’ll be right back,” he promised.

He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and left in search of a nurse. He came back a few minutes later with April.

“Hey, Grace. How are you feeling?” April asked, checking my temperature.

“My head feels like it’s going to explode and pretty much every inch of my body hurts, but other than that I’m great,” I said.

“So whiney,” Severide joked.

I shot him a look and April laughed.

“Well, you don’t have a fever which is a good thing. I’ll let Dr. Halstead know you’re awake,” April said.

I thanked her and watched her leave before closing my eyes in a feeble attempt to ease the pain in my head. A few minutes later, the door opened and Will walked in.

“Hey, Will,” I said quietly.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” he asked, rubbing hand sanitizer into his hands.

“I’m good,” I said.

“April mentioned that you were in a fair amount of pain, especially in your head. That headache is most likely caused by the swelling. It’s going to take a little while to go down, but the fact that you’re awake is a good sign. We’ll do a repeat scan of your head in a few hours to check, but it seems like the meds are doing their job. In the meantime, I can up your IV painkillers to try and ease that raging headache and give you some muscle relaxers to help with the overall body pain. How does that sound?”

“Like heaven. I just want to sleep for a week right now,” I said.

“Well, because of your brain swelling, we’re going to have to wake you up every few hours to check on you. It’s going to suck and you’re going to hate us, but we have to make sure everything is progressing like it should be and that’s hard to do when you’re asleep,” Will explained.

“I understand,” I said with a sigh.

“Alright. I’ll put an order in for the meds and April will come up your IV pain meds. I’m just a text away if you need me.”

“Do you have an update on Dawson?” I asked.

“I just talked to Dr. Rhodes. They’re closing her up now. Surgery went well and she should make a full recovery.”

“Thank you, Will,” I said.

“Of course. I’ll be by later to check on you. Do you want me to send some more of 51 back or do you want to rest?”

“You can send a handful back. I’ll let them see that I’m not dead and then I’ll get some rest.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Will said.

He shook Severide’s hand and shot me a quick smile before leaving to let the boys know they could come see me. I looked over at Kelly and saw he was staring down at the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He looked up and I saw the agony in his eyes. I took his hand and pulled him into a hug.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He nodded before pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. He pulled away moments before the door opened and everyone piled in.

“How are you feeling?” Casey asked, squeezing my hand gently.

“Like I got hit by a truck,” I said with a laugh.

I looked around the room at the grim faces of my friends. I could tell they didn’t know what to say.

“Stop looking at me like I’m going to die!” I said.

“We thought you were,” Otis said.

I felt my heart break a little at my friend’s words.

“Guys, I’m going to be fine. I’ll be back at 51 before you know it. Besides, you should be more worried about who’s going to replace Dawson and I while we’re out. You better hope it’s not Mr. Doom n’ Gloom.”

That finally got a laugh out of them and the tension was broken. Everyone stayed for a half hour or so before Dr. Rhodes came in.

“Dawson is out of surgery. There weren’t any complications. She’s resting next door so you can’t see her just yet, but I’ll let you know when she wakes up. In the meantime, Everly needs rest too so you guys have to start wrapping this visit up. One or two of you can stay, but that’s it. I’ll see you guys around. Be safe out there,” Connor said, shaking Casey and Boden’s hands before heading out.

“Alright, everyone. You heard Dr. Rhodes. Let’s head out,” Boden said.

Severide stayed and Casey decided he would hang out in my room until Dawson was awake. I said goodbye to everyone else and watched them all leave before turning to Matt and Kelly.

“I got a text from Adam saying that him and Jay stopped by while I was out and call him when I woke up. I’m too tired to deal with Ruzek. Can one of you let him know I’m awake? I’m going to take a nap,” I said.

“I’ll let Jay know,” Severide said.

I mumbled a thank you before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

I woke up a little while later to the sound of hushed voices.

“You can’t tell her he might be involved in this. She’ll blame herself.”

“We just need to ask her some questions. She doesn’t have to know about his potential involvement just yet.”

“She’s going to know we’re hiding something, Jay. Grace has better intuition than any of us.”

“Shut up, Adam. I think she’s waking up.”

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, trying to focus on the faces at the foot of my bed. After a moment, I saw that Halstead and Ruzek had joined Casey and Severide.

“Hey,” I whispered, my throat dry again.

Matt grabbed the cup from a nearby table and directed the straw into my mouth. I drank about half of the water before pushing it away gently.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking between the four men.

They all exchanged looks before Adam sat on the edge of my bed, resting the folder he hand been carrying on his lap.

“How much do you remember of the accident?” he asked.

“Not much. I just remember seeing the semi and the initial impact. The next thing I knew I was here,” I said.

“Did you get a look at the driver of the semi?” Jay asked.

“No, I only noticed it a few seconds before it hit us. I’m sorry. Why? It was just an accident.” I said, confused.

“We’re not too sure it was,” Adam said.

I looked at him in shock. What did he mean it wasn’t an accident? Who could possibly want to hurt Gabby or me?

“I’m not following,” I said.

“We reviewed security cam footage from a nearby store. The driver’s tire didn’t blow. He slashed it after he hit Ambulance 61,”Jay said.

“Why would he do that?” I asked.

“To make it look like an accident. We think someone paid him to seriously injure or kill either you, Dawson, or both of you. We’re still investigating but we have a suspect on our radar. We’ll keep an eye on him until we get more evidence,” Jay said.

“Who was the driver? Who is the suspect?”

“The driver’s name is Tanner Martin. He’s the kind of guy you see when you want a job done that you don’t want to do yourself,” Ruzek explained.

“So he’s a hit-man.” I stated.

“Something like that,” Jay said.

“Who hired him?” I asked.

“We’re still looking into that,” Adam said quickly.

“Don’t bullshit me, Ruzek. Who hired him?” I said.

“Grace, it’s just a speculation. We don’t have any concrete evidence yet,”

“This psycho tried to kill me and my best friend. I’m going to ask you one more time, Ruzek. And don’t even think about avoiding my question again because I have Burgess on speed dial and I am not afraid to use it. Who hired the man who tried to murder Dawson and I?”

Adam looked at Jay, exchanging a look.

“We think it was your ex-fiancé, Andrew Williams.”

I looked at Adam, stunned.

“You mean the man I was going to marry decided that, because I ended our relationship, I deserve to die?” I asked, still processing the information Ruzek had just divulged.

“It’s looking like it,” Jay said.

“So it’s all my fault that Gabby is in the room next to me, clinging to life?” I asked, my throat thick as tears welled in my eyes.

“Grace, no. This isn’t your fault,” Severide said, taking my hand.

I pulled away, curling up into a ball, ignoring the agonizing pain the shot through my body at my movements.

“Gabby almost died and it’s all my fault.”

I felt Kelly’s hand on my back and as much as I needed the comfort he was trying to provide, I knew I didn’t deserve it. I shouldn’t have walked away from Andrew. If I had let him down more easily, maybe we wouldn’t be here. Maybe if I had just stuck it out and married him then we wouldn’t be here.

“Matt, I’m so sorry,” I sobbed.

“Grace, look at me,” he said quietly.

I looked up slowly, expecting a look of pure repulsion. Instead, I saw a very serious look. The kind of look he gave me when he was going to lecture me.

“Grace Everly, don’t you think for a second that any of this is your fault. You reacted to Andrew cheating on you the exact same way that any of us would have. None of this is because of what you did. If anyone should feel guilty, it’s me. I set you up with him. If I hadn’t done that, then we wouldn’t be in this mess. I should be the one saying sorry.”

“Matt, no. This isn’t your fault. I loved Andrew. He and I had some amazing times together and I wouldn’t have those memories if it weren’t for you,” I said.

“Grace, we don’t even know for sure if it was him. We’re still trying to piece together the story. We’ll do some more investigating and let you know if we have any more questions,” Jay said.

I nodded and accepted hugs from both him and Adam before they left, closing the door behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few weeks went by in a blur. The CPD Intelligence Unit caught Andrew paying Tanner Martin $100,000 for his attempt to kill me. He was going to pay Martin $200,000, but decided to only give him half since he wasn’t successful. He was set to go on trial in a few weeks. Gabby and I were only one shift away from being allowed back on full duty and Severide had convinced me to move in with him in his amazing loft.

“You look sad,” Severide said, handing me a cup of coffee.

“I’m not sad. I’m just thinking about Andrew’s trial. It will be the first time I’ll see him since I walked out. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he hired someone to try and kill me. He and I were together for 5 years. 5 freaking years.”

“I know. Just be glad you didn’t marry the psycho.”

“Oh trust me. I’m very glad I didn’t marry him. I’m also really glad that nobody from 51 got mad when they found out the wedding was off. I know a lot of them had other things they could have been doing that day, but they put it aside for my wedding that didn’t happen,” I said, sipping my coffee.

“They’re your family, Ev. They wouldn’t get mad at you about something like that. Besides, I think they’re all a little more pissed off at Andrew than they are at you.”

“I know. I still can’t believe someone paid Andrew’s $500,000 bail. It makes me nervous that he’s out on the streets again.”

“We should call Intelligence and see if one of them can get a tail on him until his trial date,” Severide suggested, tugging on his shirt.

“I’ll call Jay later.”

“Good. Are you going to stop by 51 today?”

“Yeah, I was planning to. I might help out and cook lunch or something. I can’t stay here all day. I also need to run some errands,” I said.

“Why don’t you wait until tomorrow morning to run errands? I’ll go with you and we can get breakfast together,” Severide suggested, stepping into his room to change into his uniform pants.

“Sounds good to me. I’m going to take my own car to the firehouse though so I can leave whenever.”

“Do you want to just give me a ride then and pick me up in the morning so we can go shopping?” he asked, coming back out, pulling on his socks.

I nodded and finished off my coffee before heading to my room to change. I pulled on a pair of dark wash jeans and a royal blue t-shirt before tossing one of Severide’s old hoodies that I had stolen over top.

“Isn’t that my sweatshirt?” Severide asked as I brushed my teeth.

“Sorry, it smelled good so I stole it,” I said, rinsing my toothbrush and putting it away.

He just laughed and pressed a kiss to my temple before grabbing his toothbrush and kicking me out of the bathroom. I tucked my feet into my favorite pair of nude flats before grabbing my wallet and phone and stuffing them into my purse.

“Let’s go, Severide! You’re going to be late for work!” I yelled.

“Not with the way you drive,” he joked grabbing his phone from the kitchen counter.

“Careful. I just might break-check you,” I warned, glaring at him playfully.

Severide just rolled his eyes and followed me to my car. He chose the radio station while I drove, settling into a comfortable silence. I really liked living with Kelly. He was respectful of the fact that I was still healing, so he stayed quiet when I got one of my raging migraines. He was also really good about making sure the freezer was stocked with mint chocolate chip ice cream and there was always plenty of beer.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as we sat at a stoplight.

“I feel good. The only lasting side effect of the accident is my migraines. Will said that’s completely normal though and that they should go away over time. I got migraines before the accident though, so I’m really not worried.”

“How are you doing on the mental side of things? I know you’ve been going to see Chaplain Orlovsky,” he said.

“How did you know that?” I asked, looking over at him in surprise.

“I ran into him at 51 a few shifts ago. He asked me how you were doing at home.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t want you to worry that me going to him meant I had some kind of PTSD or something,” I explained.

“There’s no reason for you to apologize, Ev. I understand. Just know that I still worry about you,” he said.

We pulled up to 51 and I turned off the engine. I looked over at Kelly and smiled.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’m just really happy that we’re friends.”

“Me too.”

We got out of the car and Kelly wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the temple before we crossed the street and walked up the driveway.

“Geez, Severide. You’ve got to stop bringing your hookers to work,” Matt said, coming out to the apparatus floor.

“Nice to see you too, Lieutenant Jackass,” I said.

Dawson laughed at her husband’s offended expression before coming over to hug me.

“I missed you. I was going to stop by and check in on you today,” she said.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in contact much. I just needed some time to recover and try to convince myself that you almost dying wasn’t entirely my fault,” I said.

“Everly, stop. You know I don’t blame you at all. Besides, all that matters is the Martin and Andrew didn’t succeed and now they’re both going to end up behind bars.”

“It’s nice to know that you all still talk about me.”

I spun around at the sound of the familiar voice. Andrew stood in the driveway. I could feel every single person in the firehouse immediately inch towards him, ready to rip his head off. I held my hand out to stop them.

“Don’t, guys. Let me deal with him,” I said, shoving my hands into my pockets in an attempt to hide the fact that they were shaking.

“Grace…” Casey said.

“Matt, please. Just take everyone inside. Let me talk to him,” I said, not turning around.

I walked towards Andrew, fear and anger ripping through me.

“Why’d you do it, Andrew?” I asked, stopping a few feet away from him.

“Do what?” he asked innocently.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that you and I were supposed to be together forever. You were supposed to be my wife. You will be my wife. I will marry you,” Andrew said, his voice rising.

“Pretty sure I won’t be marrying you. Besides, I already cancelled everything and sold my dress,” I said.

I turned to leave, but Andrew grabbed my arm.

“Don’t walk away from me, you bitch!” he yelled.

“Let go of my arm,” I said firmly.

His grip only tightened and it took everything I had not to wince in pain. I was pretty sure he was going to leave a bruise. I tried to pull my arm away, but Andrew started dragging me towards his car.

“Help!” I screamed.

Andrew kept trying to pull me towards his car, but I fought as hard as I could.

“Let her go!” Severide yelled, running towards us with Casey right behind him.

Andrew didn’t let go. Severide started punching Andrew while Casey pulled me to his chest, hugging me tightly. I turned my head and saw that Severide was still punching Andrew.

“Matt, go tie a handcuff knot please,” I said.

Casey gave me a weird look, but let me go and went to do what I had asked. I went to Severide and grabbed his fist as he pulled back to punch my ex-fiancé. He stopped and looked up at me. I shook my head and Severide stared at me incredulously. Matt came running over a few moments later, webbing in hand.

“Handcuff him. I’ll call Jay,” I said.

Casey handcuffed a partially unconscious Andrew with the webbing while I pulled out my phone.

“Hey, Jay. It’s Grace. How quickly can you get to Firehouse 51? Andrew just tried to kidnap me.”

“Erin and I are a few blocks away. I’ll be there in a minute,” he said. 

I hung up and knelt next to Andrew.

“You’re 75 flavors of screwed, sweetheart,” I whispered.

With that, I walked straight through the crowd of firefighters that had gathered in the driveway and headed straight to Severide’s quarters. The moment I got there, I collapsed on the bed and let the tears that I had been holding back spill down my cheeks.

A little while later, the door opened.

“Hey, kiddo,” I heard a deep, gravely voice say.

I looked up and saw Voight standing there in his worn leather jacket. Voight had become like a father to me over the years that I had worked at 51. Ever since Casey had told me it was okay with him, I had been going to Voight when I needed fatherly advice or just someone to talk to when I had a rough day at work.

“Hi,” I said quietly.

“How are you doing?” he asked, sitting next to me on the bed.

“Not too great,” I admitted.

“Jay and Erin took Andrew back to the district. There will be more charges added to the list. Now he’ll be tried for attempted murder, soliciting a murder, attempted kidnapping, assault, violating a restraining order, and violating his parole. He’ll be behind bars for a long time.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m going to go interrogate him and see if the little prick will confess to anything. I’ll call you later and let you know if we need you to come down and make a full statement,” Voight said, standing up.

He left, closing the door behind him. I turned my face back into Kelly’s pillow and took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears that had started falling again.

“Hi.”

I looked up and saw Dawson, Casey, and Severide standing there. I turned away, not wanting them to see me crying. I felt the bed dip as Dawson sat next to me and started rubbing soothing circles into my back.

“Grace, it’s okay to cry,” Severide said.

I wiped my tears away and turned back to face them.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so emotional. I’m good now,” I said.

“Don’t shut us out. We’re here to help you,” Dawson said.

I took a deep breath. I knew they were here to help, but I was never very good at opening up.

“I’m scared,” I whispered.

“Of what?” Casey asked.

“Of what could have happened. Both Gabby and I could have been dead because I fell in love with a psychotic jackass. I know this isn’t my fault, but sometimes it still feels like it is. I wake up with nightmares of the accident. Even though we aren’t together anymore, Andrew still consumes my every waking moment.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were having nightmares?” Severide asked.

“I was embarrassed. They made me feel weak,” I admitted.

“You are the farthest thing from weak, Everly,” Dawson said.

“I don’t feel like it.”

Dawson pulled me into a hug and we just sat there for a few minutes, hugging. We broke apart a little while later and headed to the kitchen with Severide and Casey. I busied myself making sandwiches for everyone, already knowing each person’s favorite.

“Lunch is ready!” I called.

Everyone grabbed their sandwiches and sat at the table. I put down a big bowl of chopped fruit and another bowl with vegetables before grabbing a bag of chips and putting it on the table as well.

“Thank you for making lunch,” Severide said.

“Of course. Anything to keep Cruz out of the kitchen,” I joked.

A few minutes later, the alarm bells went off and everyone except for Dawson and I left in an organized flurry. The two of us cleaned up the lunch dishes while we waited for everyone to get back.

“I have nightmares about the accident too,” Gabby said suddenly.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I’ll wake up crying and screaming and Matt has to hold me until I calm down enough to go back to sleep. Sometimes I tell him about them, but other times I can’t bring myself to vocalize what happened. It’s getting better, but I still have them occasionally.”

“I usually wake up covered in sweat and crying. It’s just freaky because it’s not like other nightmares where it’s something made up. It’s all stuff that actually happened or something that could have actually happened. It’s terrifying. I usually can’t go back to sleep after I have them, so I just go downstairs and watch a movie or read or something,” I said.

“You should talk to Severide about it. I’m sure he’d be willing to either wake you up when you start having one or help you fall back asleep,” Gabby suggested.

“I’ll talk to him about it,” I said, putting the last plate in the dishwasher and turning it on.

We headed out to the apparatus floor and waited for the boys to get back. I was scrolling through Twitter when Squad and Truck pulled back into the firehouse. Everyone got out and Casey immediately went over and kissed Dawson.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Casey pulled a toddler out of a house fire split seconds before the whole structure collapsed. It was intense,” Otis said.

“Was the kid okay?” I asked.

“He’s being treated at Chicago Med for smoke inhalation, but hopefully he’ll be okay,” Severide said.

“Good job, Casey,” I said, giving him a quick hug.

Everyone headed into the common room and I decided it was time for me to head home.

“I’m going to head out, guys. I’ll see you next shift.”

I hugged everyone and Severide walked me out to my car. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and a reminder to pick him up in the morning before heading back across the street and disappearing inside Firehouse 51.


	5. Chapter 5

I spent the rest of the day cleaning Severide’s and my apartment. The only time I stopped was when Severide called to check in on me and remind me to pick him up in the morning. By the time I had finished cleaning, it was dinnertime. I decided that I didn’t want to eat alone, so I invited Jay and Erin over.

“Thank you for coming over. I just didn’t want to be alone after everything that happened today,” I said, setting the table.

“That’s completely understandable. I didn’t want to be alone for awhile after I was kidnapped,” Jay said, handing me napkins.

“It’s stupid, but I still don’t feel safe. I know that Andrew is behind bars but I still feel like he’s going to show up here or at the firehouse or even at the grocery store. If he was willing to hire someone to kill me, what else would he be willing to do?”

“I wish we could spend the night here with you, but we promised Voight we’d head back to the district before midnight. Everyone’s taking a break for the next few hours before we go back to hitting this murder case we’ve been working on for a few weeks,” Erin said.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’m just glad you guys could be here for now,” I said, spooning the pasta that I had cooked into a large serving dish and setting it on the table.

While we ate, we talked about work and how things were going now that Jay and Erin had moved in together.

“You two are perfect for each other. I’m so glad you’re happy,” I said, clearing the table.

“Let us do the dishes. You’ve been cleaning all day,” Jay said, taking the plates from my hands.

“Jay, you two have been working all day. I can do them,” I protested.

Jay just shook his head and started scrubbing. Erin laughed and pressed my refilled wine glass into my hand and pointed to the couch. I sighed and went over and sat, watching the couple as they cleaned up the kitchen and put the leftovers in the fridge.

“Please feel free to take those leftovers with you. I have plenty of food and a bunch of recipes I want to try before I go back to work,” I said.

“We’ll grab them on our way out. I’m sure Voight hasn’t left the district so he’ll enjoy some homemade food,” Erin said, grabbing her water glass and curling up on the opposite end of the couch.

“I wish you two could drink with me,” I said.

“Trust me. We wish we could too. But we’re heading back in a few hours and we can’t be buzzed on duty,” Jay said, sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs.

We continued to talk and laugh until Jay decided I needed sleep and they needed to get back to work.

“Thanks again for coming over. I really appreciate that you spent your time off with me,” I said, walking them to the door.

“Of course. Call any of us if you ever need anything. Even if you just need someone to come over and talk, we’re here,” Jay said, hugging me tightly.

Erin nodded and hugged me before they turned and left. I locked the door behind them and headed upstairs to bed. I laid in bed, willing sleep to come but knowing it wouldn’t. Eventually, I decided to just head back to the firehouse, thinking that being around people I felt safe with would help me sleep.

I parked across the street and walked up the driveway. Matt and Kelly were sitting in the driveway, smoking cigars and talking.

“What are you two doing awake? It’s 1am. You should be sleeping,” I said.

“We could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?” Matt asked, standing up and hugging me.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided I would swing by for a bit,” I said.

“Do you want a chair?” Matt asked, standing to go get one.

“Nah, I’ll just sit on Severide,” I said, sitting on Kelly’s lap.

His hand automatically went around my waist and I settled back against his chest. We sat there for a little while, talking about random things until Dawson came out.

“Everly? What are you doing here?” she asked, sitting on her husband’s lap and tossing me one of the blankets she had brought out.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said, draping the blanket over my lap.

“Me either,” she said, snuggling into Casey.

The diamond on Dawson’s finger sparkled in the moonlight, just like mine used to. A feeling of sadness washed over me as I remembered how happy Andrew and I had been and how excited I had been when he proposed.

I was broken from my thoughts when Severide yawned and poked my butt.

“Get up. I want to go to bed. I’d like to get a little sleep before those damn bells go off,” he said.

I stood up and handed Dawson back the blanket.

“I’m going to go to bed too. I’ll see you all in a few hours,” I said, digging for my keys while stifling a yawn.

“Why don’t you just sleep here?” Severide asked.

“I’ve been sleeping here with Matt in case I have nightmares. Why don’t you sleep here that way one of us can help you if you have one?” Dawson suggested.

“I’m okay, guys. I still haven’t re-organized my closet, so I need to go do that,” I said, turning to leave.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re staying here and you are going to get some sleep,” Severide said, scooping me up and tossing me over his shoulder.

“Kelly! Put me down!” I said loudly.

“Shh. You’ll wake everyone up,” he said, carrying me to his quarters and depositing me on his bunk.

“Severide, I don’t have anything to sleep in and I am not sleeping in skinny jeans and a blouse,” I said, indicating my outfit.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and disappeared down the hallway.

He came back a few minutes later with a handful of clothes. He handed me a pair of sweatpants from my locker and one of his CFD hoodies.

“Turn around,” I said.

“I’ve seen you naked more times than I can count, Everly. I’m not turning around,” he said, kicking off his boots and laying on the bed.

I sighed and closed the blinds before stripping down to my bra and underwear and pulling on the clothes he had brought me.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to go grab an extra blanket to put on the floor,” I said.

“Just sleep in the bed with me. We’ve slept in the same bed before,” Severide said, holding out his arms.

I sighed and climbed under the blankets, laying my head on the firefighter’s chest. I relaxed as his fingers traced up and down my spine.

“Thank you for putting up with me these past few weeks,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

“I’m not ‘putting up’ with you, Grace. You’re allowed to be moody and emotional. You’re ex-fiancé hired someone to kill you. You deserve a break,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I snuggled closer to him and allowed sleep to take over. I woke up a few hours later, feeling rested for the first time in weeks. Severide was sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork.

“Hey. Did you have any nightmares last night?” he asked when he noticed I was awake.

“No. I think that’s the first night since the accident where I haven’t woken up in tears,” I said, changing back into my jeans and blouse.

“If sleeping in my bed keeps you from having nightmares, I’m all yours,” he said with a laugh.

“Careful, Severide. I might take you up on that offer,” I said, pulling on my shoes.

I saw a flash of something in the man’s eyes, but it was gone before I could determine what it was.

“There’s only a few minutes left on shift. Where do you want to go for breakfast?”

“I don’t care,” I said, “Anywhere with pancakes.”

Severide laughed and nodded. I pulled my curls into a ponytail and headed out to the common room.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Kidd said.

“I slept here so I didn’t have to get up extra early to come get Severide,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

“Are you excited to be back to work next shift?” she asked, grabbing a mug.

I nodded, pouring cream and sugar into my cup and taking a long sip. I watched as members of the next shift started drifting in, heading into the locker room to change.

“Ready to go?” Severide asked, taking a sip from my cup.

I nodded and slipped on my jacket. We walked out to my car, waving goodbye to Dawson and Casey.

“All jokes aside, I’m really glad you got some decent rest last night,” Severide said.

“Me too,” I said.

I connected my phone to my car and started playing music while we drove.

“You listen to the most boring music ever,” Severide said.

“Hey. ‘Fanstasia on a Theme’ is a classic piece from Thomas Tallis. I played this song in All-State Orchestra my junior year of high school,” I said.

“You played in an orchestra?”

“I played violin from age three until I started at the academy.”

“Why’d you stop?”

“My parents were my biggest supporters. When they died in that fire, I couldn’t bring myself to play anymore. It hurt too much.”

I pulled into the parking lot of our favorite diner and shut off the engine. I looked over at Severide and saw a flash of sadness in his blue eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t pity me,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and opening the car door.

“Okay,” he said simply.

We ate breakfast in a comfortable silence. It had been awhile since we ate together. Over the past few weeks, I had been eating alone at the apartment while Kelly was on shift and then we did our own things when he was home.

“We should do this more often. Just eating together. Or at least cooking together,” I said as we settled the bill.

“Sounds good to me,” he said, handing me my jacket.

We drove to our favorite grocery store and strolled around, Severide pushing the cart while I picked the things we needed off the shelves. As we walked, we talked a little about me going back to work in a few days.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked, leaning against the cart handle while I looked at the different paper towel options.

“Severide, I need to go back. I’m ready. Yes, I’m nervous. Yes, I’m a little scared. But I am so ready to be back. Saving lives is what we do. I’ve been on the sidelines for long enough.”

I finally settled on a brand of paper towels and tossed a few rolls into the cart before moving on to the produce section. We finished up at the grocery store and grabbed a coffee at a nearby café before heading home. When we got there, Adam was standing at the front door.

“Hey, Ruzek. What’s going on?” I asked, unlocking the door and ushering him inside.

“Relax. I just wanted to swing by and check on you. Jay and Erin mentioned that they had dinner with you last night, so I figured I’d stop in and say hi too.”

“Voight sent you, didn’t he?” I said, setting the groceries down on the kitchen island and hugging Adam.

“Yeah, he did. He’s worried about you. Especially since Andrew isn’t officially locked up yet,” he said, helping me unload the bags.

“I’m fine. I’m ready to go back to work and forget this whole thing ever happened.”

“There is one thing police-related that I have to tell you,” he said.

“Ruzek? What are you doing here?” Severide asked, coming through the door with the rest of the groceries.

“Hey, Severide. I was just about to tell Grace a development in Andrew’s case,” Adam said.

“What is it?” I asked, stopping what I was doing and giving him my full attention.

“Grace, I’m really sorry. ADA Stone wants you to testify at Andrew’s trial,” he said.

“Why? You have that bastard’s confession!” Severide said.

“It’s not enough to convict him. Stone says that by putting you on the stand, it gives the jury a look at the person who the crimes were committed against. There’s a big difference between hearing about someone and seeing them. He says he won’t subpoena you, but he really hopes you’ll listen to him.”

“I’ll do it,” I said.

Both Severide and Ruzek looked at me like I was insane.

“You are not doing this, Grace! Are you crazy?” Severide yelled.

“Kelly, I need to do this. It will give me closure. I’ll be okay,” I said.

“You don’t have to do this, Grace,” Adam reminded me.

“I know. But I want to,” I said.

Severide looked at me incredulously before storming away, slamming his bedroom door behind him.

“Grace, are you sure you want to do this? If I tell Stone, you can’t back out. Otherwise he might subpoena you,” Ruzek said.

“I know, Adam. It’s fine. Tell him I’ll do it,” I said.

Adam nodded. He helped me unload the groceries before giving me a hug and leaving. I went upstairs and changed into a pair of black leggings and a loose white t-shirt. I grabbed two beers from the fridge and headed to Severide’s room.

“Kelly, can I come in?” I asked, knocking softly on his door.

I heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Taking that as a yes, I pushed it open. Severide was standing at the window in just a pair of dark grey sweatpants. He turned to look at me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He took one of the beers from my hand and took a long swig before sitting on the bed. I sat next to him and leaned my head on his bare shoulder.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“I need the closure. I need to be able to look him in the eyes and tell the world what he did to me. I want to see the look in his eyes when they convict him of all those charges, Kelly.”

“I just don’t want you getting hurt again. I love you too much to see you go through more pain,” he said quietly.

I moved so that I was kneeling in front of him. I put my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look me in the eyes.

“I love you too, Kelly. I promise I’ll be okay.”

He nodded understandingly. We looked each other in the eyes for a few moments and the next thing I knew, his lips were pressed against mine in a searing kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

The feeling of Severide’s lips on mine was different than any kiss I’d had in the past. This kiss was soothing, sweet, and I felt like it was rushing through my body, healing everything it touched.

He pulled away and looked at me apologetically. I saw him open his mouth to say something, but I pulled him to me and kissed him. We kissed until we couldn’t breathe. And once we’d caught our breaths, we kissed again.

“Sleep in here tonight,” he whispered, pulling me down onto the bed with me.

“Make me,” I teased.

He wrapped me in his arms and cradled me against his chest before pulling the comforter over us. I fell into a light sleep pretty quickly, and felt Severide get out of bed a few hours later. I fell back asleep, assuming he had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. A nightmare clouded my dreams, wrenching me from sleep.

“Kelly!” I yelled, sitting bolt upright, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He ran into the bedroom, panic clear in his features. When he saw what was happening, he wrapped me in his arms, rubbing soothing circles on my back. I matched my breathing to his and felt my heartbeat start to slow.

“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked.

I nodded against his chest.

“I’m sorry, baby. I should have been here.”

“Where were you?” I asked.

“I went downstairs to get water and then a friend called so I was talking to them for a bit. I was coming back up when I heard you screaming,” he explained.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

We both fell back asleep, tangled up in each other, a mess of arms and legs. When I woke up in the morning, he was still asleep. I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. Eventually, the need to pee became overwhelming so I tried to get out of bed.

“Nooooooo,” Severide groaned, tightening his arm around my waist.

“Let me go or I’ll pee on you,” I said.

He let me go immediately and I laughed. I peed and brushed my teeth, getting rid of my morning breath. When I got back to the bedroom, Severide was sitting against the headboard, a mug of coffee in his hand and another on the bedside table.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Good,” I said, snuggling up next to him.

“Did you have anymore nightmares?” he asked.

“Not after the initial one. You really do have the magic touch, Kelly Severide,” I joked.

“We have the day off. What do you want to do?” he asked.

“Well, I definitely want to go for a run or hit the gym. I also need to go shopping for a dress for that gala tomorrow night.”

“There’s a gala tomorrow?” he asked.

“It’s not for the CFD. It’s for this charity that I help out with for people who have been personally affected by fires.”

“I never knew you helped out with a charity,” he said.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Kelly,” I replied.

“Why is that? We’ve been best friends for almost six years but there’s still so much that we don’t know about each other,” he said.

“Well, let’s change that. After we get back from a run and shopping, we can cook and talk,” I suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said with a smile.

We both finished our coffee and got dressed to go for a run. I filled our water bottles and tossed them in my bag before grabbing my keys and heading down to my car. Severide came out a minute later, locking the door behind him. We drove to our favorite running trail and I parked in an empty spot.

“Ready?” I asked, stretching.

He nodded and we started running. We didn’t talk much when we ran. Instead, we just enjoyed each other’s company and focused on our bodies. We ran for a little under two hours before heading back to the car. I handed Severide his water bottle before taking a long drink from my own.

“Do you want to shower before we go shopping?” he asked as I started the car.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I said, looking down at my sweat-soaked shirt.

We went back to the apartment and I showered first. After I had twisted my damp hair up into a bun, I pulled on a pair of jeans and black t-shirt. I tossed on my favorite maroon cardigan and headed downstairs.

“Is this for me?” I asked, pointing to a sandwich that was sitting on the counter.

“Yeah. I already ate. I’m going to shower and then we can go,” he said.

Severide pressed a kiss to my forehead and gently squeezed my hip before jogging up the stairs. I heard the water turn on as I bit into the sandwich. I answered a handful of emails and text messages while I ate and by the time I was finished, the water had turned off. Kelly reappeared a few minutes later, wearing dark jeans and a grey shirt.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said.

The shopping trip didn’t take very long. We went to a little boutique that Dawson and I liked and I found a flowing, floor-length burgundy gown with lace long sleeves and a relatively modest neckline.

“You look amazing,” Severide said as I looked in the mirror.

I paid for the dress and we headed back to the apartment, stopping to replenish our alcohol stash on the way. While I found a recipe to make for dinner, Severide put the alcohol away.

“What did you pick?” he asked, sitting on one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

“Chicken pot pie,” I said, turning my laptop so he could see.

“Oh wow. I haven’t had that since I was a kid,” he said.

“I figured if we’re going to be spilling our souls to each other, we may as well have some comfort food to go along,” I said, starting to collect the ingredients.

While Severide poured a glass of wine for me, I connected my phone to the Bluetooth speakers and turned on “Any Other Way” by We The Kings. Kelly just laughed and went upstairs to search of his phone. While he was gone, I pulled out the apron my mom had given me when I was in high school and started dancing around the kitchen, singing along to the song. I collected all of the ingredients I needed and continued to dance as I washed the vegetables and located a large saucepan. I didn’t realize Severide had come back downstairs until the end of the song when I stopped dancing and he started clapping. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“I like seeing you so happy,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I let my head fall back against his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of him against me.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, pointing to the ingredients.

“Can you cut the chicken into cubes for me?” I asked, pulling away.

He nodded and got to work while I chopped the celery and carrots, tossing them into the saucepan as I went. Severide added the chicken and a bag of frozen peas into the pan and I turned on the heat. As we cooked, we started to talk about our lives before we had met. I learned more about Benny and I told Kelly about my family.

“Tell me more about Shay?”

Severide froze for a beat before turning to look at me.

“You don’t have to. I mean, I already know a little bit about her and what happened to her, but you never talk about her. I want to know what she was like. Dawson doesn’t talk about her very often either. Were they as close as you were to her?”

“She was my best friend. We did a lot together. In fact, we almost had a baby together,” he said, smiling at the memory.

“You got her pregnant? I thought she was a lesbian,” I said.

“She was. I was basically a sperm donor for her. The first round didn’t take. We were going to try again, but she died before we could,” he said.

“Kelly, I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about her,” I said.

“No, it’s okay. You remind me of her. She was stubborn and funny and so incredibly kind and caring. She was a lot like you in that regard.”

“I wish I could have met her,” I said.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a soft kiss. The timer went off and I pulled the finished chicken potpie out of the oven.

“We have to take a picture to prove everyone that you can cook,” I joked.

We snapped a quick selfie of us with the pot pie sitting on the stove in the background.

“Perfect,” he whispered, kissing me.

I kissed him back for a minute before pulling away. He looked at me with a small frown.

“I don’t want dinner to get cold,” I explained with a shrug.

“You and food,” he said with a laugh.

“Shut up. You know you love me,” I said, handing him a plate.

“I do. I do love you.”

We continued to talk as we ate. Once we were done eating, we continued to talk while we did dishes. And once dishes were done, we continued to talk on the couch.

“So why did you become a paramedic?” he asked.

“When I at the fire academy, we went out to a firehouse for a class. We were supposed to observe. We were only supposed to jump in if we absolutely had to. It was a warehouse fire, so the firefighters were pulling out body after body. The paramedics couldn’t keep up. We had just finished our basic paramedic training courses, so I jumped in to help. I helped save four people that day. And that was when I knew I would make a better paramedic than a firefighter.”

“Wow. I never knew that. I’m impressed,” Severide said.

“It wasn’t that impressive. I just did basic first aid and helped do CPR on one guy,” I said, taking a sip of my wine.

“Not that. That’s not what I meant. I’m impressed with how you realize what you want and you go for it. You don’t wait around for it to handed to you. That’s impressive.”

I leaned forward and kissed him softly.

“Kelly, where do we stand?” I asked as I pulled away.

“I’m not sure. What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Well, we both love each other but that’s different than being in love with each other. Obviously we have feelings for each other. What do we call this?”

“I’m not the best at monogamy, Ev. You know that,” he said.

“I’m not trying to put a ring on your finger, Kelly. At least not yet. Besides, I’m still dealing with my murderous ex-fiancé,” I said.

“Why don’t we see where it goes? We don’t have to tell anyone just yet. It’s our thing and we can keep it that way as long as you want,” he said.

“Sounds good to me. Just let me know before you sleep with someone else so I can get someone else to help ward away my nightmares,” I joked.

Severide just laughed and pulled me onto his lap. We cuddled on the couch for what seemed like eternity, just enjoying each other. Eventually, we went to bed. I slept soundly through the entire night for the first time since the accident.

When I woke up the next morning, Kelly was still passed out next to me. I headed downstairs and made pancakes and eggs. I had just flipped the last pancake onto a plate when I heard soft footsteps and two muscular arms snaked around my waist.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Severide whispered planting a kiss on top of my head.

“Good morning,” I said, turning in his arms so that I was facing him.

“What do you want to do today?” he asked, looking down at me.

“I have a doctor appointment at 10 to make sure I’m officially cleared for full duty and then the gala is tonight so I’m going over to Dawson’s so that she can help me with my hair and makeup.”

“Do you want me to come to anything with you?”

“You’re welcome to come to both the doctor and the gala if you want to. But you do have to wear a tux to the gala. It’s a black tie event,” I said, pulling away from him and cutting up some fruit.

“I can do that. Just let me shower and I’ll come to the doctor with you too,” he said.

“Eat first before the pancakes get cold,” I said.

We ate quickly and I cleaned up the kitchen while Severide showered. When he was done, I took over the bathroom to throw my hair up into a ponytail and brush my teeth. 

“Are you okay?” Severide asked as we drove to the doctor.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just kind of nervous. I really want to go back to work and I’m scared they’re going to find something that will make it so I can’t go back,” I admitted.

“Baby, you’re going to do fine. You’ll be back to saving lives in less than 24 hours. Just breathe,” he said.

I took a deep breath as we pulled into the parking lot. My anxiety grew as we sat in the waiting room and as the nurse took my vitals.

“You’re officially cleared for full duty, starting next shift. You can return to work tomorrow,” Dr. Michaels said with a smile.

“Thank you so much,” I said.

“Anytime. Come back or call if you have any questions or if anything feels off,” he said, handing me his card.

“I told you you’d be fine,” Severide said as I got dressed.

“I just can’t wait to get back to work,” I said, pulling on my jacket.

“Can you drop me off at Casey and Dawson’s and then go back to the apartment to get my dress? I completely forgot to throw it in the car this morning and I wanted to just go straight to the gala from Dawson’s.”

“I wanted to drop in and talk to Casey about a few things, but I can do it after that. Do you need anything else?” he asked.

“I need my shoes and earrings. My dress is hanging on the back of my bedroom door and my shoes, earrings, and purse are all on the foot of my bed,” I said.

“I’ll bring them over after I run a few errands,” he said.

“You’re amazing,” I said.

“Oh yeah,” he replied with a smirk.

I laughed, shaking my head. We pulled up to Casey and Dawson’s a few minutes later. Severide entwined his fingers with mine as I knocked. Dawson answered the door a few seconds later and immediately smiled when she saw Severide and I holding hands.

“You owe me $20,” she said to Casey.

“Damn it. You couldn’t hold off for two more weeks?” Casey asked, pulling out his wallet.

“You bet on Severide and I getting together?” I asked, incredulous.

“Don’t look so shocked. The whole firehouse was betting on how long it would take for you two to realize you’re perfect for each other,” Gabby said, tucking the $20 bill into her pocket with a grin before kissing her husband.

I rolled my eyes and followed Dawson into the bathroom. We talked while she curled my hair and twisted it up into a loose, romantic up-do.

“I feel like I’m moving on from Andrew too quickly. It kind of makes me feel like a slut,” I admitted as Gabby pulled a few curls loose so they framed my face.

“Sweetie, you are so far from a slut. Any required celibacy period after a broken engagement doesn’t apply to someone whose fiancé tried to murder her,” she said.

“I guess so. And it’s not like I jumped straight to screwing Severide,” I said.

“Wait, you two haven’t done it yet?” she asked.

“No! We just got together!” I exclaimed.

“There is so much sexual tension between you two, it’s not even funny,” she said.

“Oh? You mean like it was between you and Casey before you two started dating?” I joked.

“Exactly. Except Casey’s and my relationship started with us sleeping together,” she said, turning me so that she could get started on my makeup.

“That’s not true. You and Matt were friends first. That’s better than a lot of people,” I pointed out.

There was a knock on the door and Severide poked his head in.

“Hey, girls. I’m heading to go pick up your dress and shoes. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back,” he said.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at him.

“No problem. I’ll see you later. You look beautiful, by the way.”

He smiled at Gabby before leaving, closing the door behind him. Dawson looked at me with a smile so big I thought her face would split in half.

“What?” I finally asked.

“You two are so damn cute together,” she said.

I stuck my tongue out at her, but smiled to myself. I was happy with the way things were turning out.


	7. Chapter 7

“Alright, let’s get you into this dress,” Dawson said when Severide got back a little while later.

We headed into her and Matt’s bedroom, closing the door behind us. I stripped down to my bra and underwear and held my hands out for the dress.

“Are you planning on having sex tonight?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at my lacy black underwear and matching bra.

“Shut up,” I said.

I stepped into the gown and turned around so she could zip me up. I twirled, smiling as the long, flowing fabric floated around me.

“You look stunning,” she said, handing me the earrings Severide had brought.

“Thank you so much for helping me get ready. I can do other people’s hair and makeup, but when I try to do my own it just doesn’t work as well,” I said.

“What shoes are you wearing?” she asked.

I pointed to the pair of simple black heels that I had asked Kelly to bring. Dawson took one look at them and shook her head.

“What?” I asked.

“You are not wearing those. Hang tight. I’ll be right back,” she said, disappearing into the walk-in closet.

She emerged a minute later, holding a pair of sparkling silver ankle strap heels.

“Dawson, I can’t borrow those. They look so expensive,” I said.

“I got them on sale. You’ll be fine. They go better with your dress,” she said, handing them to me.

I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped my feet into the shoes, strapping them on. I stood and walked around the room, trying them out.

“They’re surprisingly comfortable,” I said.

“They’re one of my favorites. Take good care of them,” she said.

“Thank you,” I said, hugging her.

We walked out into the living room where Casey and Severide were talking about one of Casey’s construction jobs. Severide was in a black tux with a white shirt and bowtie. He looked fantastic. Dawson cleared her throat, causing the men to stop their conversation and turn to look at us. They both froze, eyes wide, when they saw me.

“Everly, you look beautiful,” Matt said.

“Thank you,” I said, looking at Severide.

He just nodded in agreement, too stunned to say anything.

“Are you ready to go? We need to be there in 30 minutes,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Severide said, finally finding his voice.

We said goodbye to Dawson and Casey before heading out to my car. I handed the keys to Severide and slid into the passenger seat.

“You look magnificent, baby,” he said, placing his hand on my mid-thigh and squeezing gently.

“You look amazing too,” I said, placing my hand on top of his.

We arrived at the venue and Severide parked the car in an empty spot.

“There’s not many people here,” he commented, looking around the parking lot.

“We’re early. I wanted to make sure everything was set up and ready to go before everyone showed up,” I explained, opening my door.

“If you had anything to do with it, then I’m sure it will be perfect,” he said, kissing me softly.

We walked inside and were met by the co-founder of the charity.

“Severide, this is Emilia Briggs. She’s one of the founders of Family Flames. Emilia, this is Kelly Severide.”

“Nice to meet you,” Severide said, shaking Emilia’s hand.

“It’s wonderful to meet you too,” Emilia said with a smile.

“So, is everything ready to go?” I asked.

“Yes. I’ve been over the checklist multiple times and everything is working and ready. Are you excited for your speech?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, my what now?” I asked.

“Your speech. You have to give a speech, Grace. This is a fundraising gala and you have an incredible story,” Emilia said.

“I didn’t prepare a speech, Emilia,” I said.

“Well, you better get to preparing then. I’m going to go check in with the caterer,” she said.

I watched her walk away, contemplating running after her and strangling her for not telling me about the speech.

“No strangling people tonight, my love,” Severide said with a smile.

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?” I asked, surprised.

“You had your ‘murder’ face on,” he said with a laugh.

“You suck,” I said, punching his arm.

“You love me,” he said, pulling me into a hug.

“You’re wrinkling my dress,” I complained with a laugh.

He let me go with a kiss on the forehead before heading over to the bar to get drinks for us. People slowly started coming through the doors and I went over to greet them. I spent the next hour or so welcoming people to the event and walking around talking to people who I knew could donate a large amount to the charity.

“You’re popular,” a voice whispered in my ear as I stopped by the bar for a glass of champagne.

“Hey, baby,” I said, turning and kissing Severide.

“How are you doing?” he asked, taking a sip of his bourbon.

“I’m good. We’ve raised a little over $100,000 so far,” I said with a smile.

“That’s great, babe. But I have an idea that might help you raise a little more,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I called in some reinforcements,” he said, pointing to the door.

In walked in Casey, Dawson, and Chief Boden. The rest of Firehouse 51, some of their family members and loved ones, and a few people from other firehouses followed, all dressed impeccably. I blinked back tears as I pulled Severide into a hug.

“You’re amazing,” I said.

We walked over to everyone and I hugged Casey and Dawson, knowing that Severide would have called them first for help.

“This means more to me than any of you could ever know. Thank you so much,” I said.

“We’re always here to support you. We lift each other up. It’s what we do,” Casey said.

“What do you need us to do?” Otis asked.

“Just talk to people, share your stories. This charity helps families that have been affected by fires as well as the families of firefighters who have been hurt or killed in the line of duty. There’s a lot of people here who think they owe their lives and the lives of their loved ones to firefighters,” I explained.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s raise some money!” Dawson said, clapping her hands together.

I watched as everyone got to work and I watched as more and more people started walking over to the donation table and pull out their checkbooks. When it was time for my speech, we had raised over $500,000.

“Hello, everyone! My name is Emilia Briggs and I am the co-founder of Family Flames. I want to start out by letting you all know that we have officially passed half a million dollars in donations tonight! Thank you all for your generosity. That being said, I want to welcome a member of the board to the stage, Grace Everly!”

There was a loud round of applause as I walked on stage, and Severide whistled. I laughed softly and rolled my eyes.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Grace Everly. I have been a paramedic at Firehouse 51 for the past 6 years. Originally, I wanted to be a firefighter. I lost my parents in a house fire three days after I graduated high school. I was originally going to be a teacher, but after my parents died, I decided I wanted to do something that would enable me to prevent other people from going through what I went through. One day when I was at the fire academy, we rode along to a warehouse fire. We were supposed to stand off to the side unless we were absolutely needed. I saw that the paramedics weren’t able to keep up with the amount of victims that were being pulled from the fire. We had just finished our basic EMT training course at the academy, so I jumped in. I helped save four peoples’ lives that day. And that was when I knew I wanted to be a paramedic,”

I paused for a second and looked over at Severide and Dawson. They both nodded at me with encouragement.

“I still lose people. We don’t save everyone. It’s a hard job in that regard. Sometimes you show up on the scene and you get this feeling in your stomach. This feeling where you know you aren’t going to be able to save someone. And when that person dies, their family is left with a massive hole in their hearts. The goal of Family Flames is not to fill that hole. That hole can never be filled. Our goal is to slowly help the family heal. And over time help them to realize that, despite that hole, their heart is still beating. Thank you.”

There was absolute silence for a few seconds before everyone burst into applause. I looked around the room and say tears in multiple peoples’ eyes, including Severide’s. I walked off stage and made a beeline straight for my firehouse family.

“That was amazing,” Herrmann said.

“Quite inspiring actually,” Cruz said. 

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

I felt Severide’s arm wrap around my waist. I turned and smiled up at him.

“You did fantastic,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“Thanks,” I said.

A few hours later, the night was winding down and people were starting to leave. I hugged and thanked all of my firehouse family members as they left until eventually it was just Severide and I left.

“Are you ready to go? We have work in the morning,” he said.

I nodded sleepily, allowing him to wrap me up in his arms for a few minutes.

“Hey, Emilia. Kelly and I are going to head out. Tonight was incredible. Thank you for setting everything up,” I said.

“Of course. Have a good night!” she said, hugging Severide and I.

Severide took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders before entwining our fingers and leading me out to the car. As we drove, the emotional exhaustion of telling my story over and over for the past few hours started to set it.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Severide asked as we walked back up to the apartment.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” I said, unlocking the door.

We made our way to Severide’s bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and started to pull all of the bobby pins out of my hair, making a small pile next to me. While I did that, Severide knelt down and unbuckled my shoes, rubbing my feet as he took off the heels.

“That feels so good,” I said, laying back and closing my eyes.

“You can’t fall asleep yet. We have to get you out of that dress first,” he said, helping me stand up.

I groaned and struggled to reach the zipper. I felt Severide start to undo it for me and I sighed happily at the feeling of his cool hands on my back. Once the dress was unzipped, I draped it over the back of Severide’s desk chair. I started to go to my room in search of a pair of short and shirt to sleep in, but was stopped.

“I’ve got to get pajamas,” I said, looking down at Severide’s hand on my arm.

“Just sleep in your underwear,” he suggested with a smile.

“You wish. It’s too late to start something you can’t finish, Severide,” I said, disappearing down the hallway.

I located a pair of joggers and an oversized t-shirt and threw them on before making my way back to Severide’s room. I saw that his bathroom light was on, so I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my body. He emerged a few minutes later and settled in next to me.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, kissing me and wrapping me up in his arms.

“Goodnight.”

I woke up to Severide’s alarm the next morning. For a second I considered just rolling over and going back to sleep, but then I remembered that today was my first shift back at 51 since the accident. I rolled over and came face-to-face with a still sleeping Kelly Severide. I let my fingers wander over his body, waking him up gently.

“Well good morning to you too,” he said, not opening his eyes.

“Good morning, baby.”

“You’re excited to get back to work, aren’t you?” he said.

“Extremely. I’m going to make breakfast. If I have to come back up here to wake you up again, I won’t be so nice,” I threatened lightly.

As I rolled out of bed, there was a quick pinch on my butt and I squealed.

“I hate you,” I said to Severide, smacking his hand away.

“Oh shut up, baby. You love me,” he said, pushing away the covers and heading into the bathroom.

I listened to the sound of the water while I whipped up eggs, bacon, and toast. By the time everything was ready, Severide was just coming downstairs. I shoved a bite of eggs into my mouth and grabbed a slice of toast before running upstairs to get dressed. I pulled on my uniform in between bites of toast, making sure not to get crumbs everywhere.

“Are you almost ready?” Severide called from downstairs.

“Yeah! Just let me brush my teeth,” I called back.  
After I brushed my teeth, I pulled my still curled hair into a high ponytail and raced downstairs.

“I’m ready,” I said, grabbing my keys and jacket.

“After you,” he said, pointing to the door.


	8. Chapter 8

We got to the firehouse at the same time as Casey and Dawson.

“Where is everyone? Shift starts in ten minutes,” I said, looking around the common room.

“I have no idea. Let’s just drop our bags off and head to roll call,” Kelly said, already heading towards the locker room.

I followed him, hanging my bag in my locker and grabbing my favorite sweatshirt. Severide, Casey, Dawson and I walked towards the meeting room, the hallways as quiet as could be. I opened the door to the meeting room and was greeted by everyone else. There was a handmade sign that said “Welcome Back, Dawson and Everly!”

“Did you know about this?” I asked Severide.

He nodded and pulled me into a tight hug. Chief Boden joined a few moments later and we all sat down for the morning meeting.

“Dawson and Everly. It’s good to have you back,” he said, a small smile playing across his face.

“It’s good to be back,” Gabby said.

“Even though Andrew is locked up, I still want everyone’s eyes open at all times. If you see anything suspicious, tell me. Got it?” he asked.

We all nodded. Chief Boden dismissed us and we all stood up to leave. Most of Squad 3 headed out to their table on the apparatus floor, but Severide stayed in the common room with the rest of us. I sat next to him at the table, stifling a smile when his hand made it’s way to my leg.

“Hey, Everly. We’ve got to do inventory,” Gabby said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” I said as she headed out towards the ambo.

I squeezed Severide’s hand gently before standing up and following Gabby.

“When are you going to tell everyone that you’re dating?” she asked, handing me the clipboard.

“We haven’t actually put a label on anything, Dawson. Right now we’re just seeing where things go. It’s our thing and we aren’t ready to splash it across the front page of the daily news,” I explained.

“That’s fair. Matt and I won’t say anything. Just make sure you’re careful,” she reminded.

“I mean, it shouldn’t be a big deal if we were to tell everyone, would it? We don’t work on Squad or Ambulance together. You and Matt aren’t breaking any rules now, right?”

“No, it shouldn’t be a problem. Matt and I couldn’t get married initially because I was working under him on 81. As long as you don’t suddenly go off and get squad certified, you should be good,” she said with a smile.

“Who’s getting squad certified?” Otis asked, walking over to us.

“Maybe you should,” Dawson said, looking at him.

“Nah. I like Truck better,” he said, sitting on the gurney.

We all talked for a few minutes while Dawson and I did inventory. I had just finished the checklist when the alarm bells went off.

Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Person trapped.

Otis jumped off the gurney and jogged over to Truck 81 while Dawson and I quickly put the last of the items away and got into the front seats. The drive to the scene was quick. When we arrived, we found a red pickup truck halfway in the first floor of someone’s house. There were a group of people standing around and one of them had their phone pressed to their ear. When they saw us, they hung up and came running over.

“My name is Zack. I live next door. The driver must have lost control of his car and he ran into the house,” he said, clearly panicked.

“Okay, Zack. Do you know if anyone is home?” Casey asked.

“Christi Quinn and her baby daughter, Eden,” he said.

“Alright, let’s move. We’ve got a woman and a baby trapped,” Severide said.

Dawson and I immediately ran over to the driver. We found him slumped against the air bag, covered in blood from multiple lacerations. I pressed my gloved fingers against his neck in search of a pulse. I couldn’t find one.

“Dawson, I can’t get a pulse,” I yelled.

She came over and checked, shaking her head when she ended up with the same result.

“We need a c-collar and a backboard!” I heard Severide say over the radio from inside the house.

I grabbed my jump bag and a backboard and ran inside, locating Severide and Casey. The car had obviously struck the mom. Lacerations covered her body and her femur was visible through her jeans. She was unconscious so I felt her neck for a pulse and sighed in relief when I found one. I handed Severide the c-collar and told him to put it on her before turning to Casey. He was standing there, an infant cradled in his arms.

“How’s Eden?” I asked.

“She seems okay. I don’t see any obvious injuries. She was in the crib over there,” Matt said, pointing across the room.

I sighed with relief when I saw that the crib was far from the car. I took the baby from Casey and looked her over, being careful with her head and neck.

“Get Christi out of here. She needs to get to the hospital ASAP. Someone needs to come with us to carry the baby,” I said.

“I’ll come,” Severide said.

He radioed for more firefighters to come down and help get the mom out to the ambulance. We got her out and onto the gurney before Severide got in the back of the ambo with the baby wrapped safely in his arms.

“Alright, let’s move,” Dawson said, running to the drivers seat.

I worked on the mom while we drove, stopping as much of the bleeding as I could and getting her leg in a cardboard splint. When we got to the hospital, we wheeled a still unconscious Christi into the ER and were immediately surrounded by doctors and nurses. I took Eden from Severide and followed Dr. Halstead into one of the non-trauma rooms.

“Let’s take a look at this little one,” he said, motioning for me to lay her on the gurney.

He checked her vitals and carefully checked to make sure she didn’t have any injuries.

“She looks good. How close was she to the accident?” he asked.

“She was a good 30-40 feet away.”

“Was there any debris by where she was?” he asked, rocking the infant gently as she started to fuss.

“No, not that I saw,” I said.

He nodded and carefully handed Eden back to me. I watched as Will jotted down a few notes in Eden’s chart.

“Did you call DCFS?” I asked.

“Yeah, I did. There’s a problem though. They’re so full and backed up that they can’t take her for a few days. They don’t have anywhere to put her. Jay did some background on Christi, but she doesn’t have any living relatives and Eden’s father died overseas. We’re going to have to keep her here until we figure out what to do,” Will said, gazing down at the baby in my arms.

“Let me take her to the firehouse. If Christi doesn’t wake up by the time shift is over tomorrow morning, then I can take her to Severide’s and my place. I was a foster parent a few years ago for a little boy until his mother got clean. I’ll sign whatever paperwork is necessary. Just don’t make her stay here,” I begged.

“I’ll talk to Goodwin and see what I can do. Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” I said, looking him in the eye.

“Okay then. I’ll be back,” he said.

A few moments after Will left, Severide, Dawson, and Casey came into the room.

“How is she?” Casey asked, played with Eden’s fingers.

“Completely healthy,” I said with a smile.

“That’s good. Did Dr. Halstead call DCFS?” Dawson asked.

“He did, but they’re too full to take her. So I offered to take care of her until Christi wakes up,” I said.

“You did?” Severide asked, his head snapping up.

I nodded, gauging his reaction. His face broke into a smile and he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“We don’t have any diapers or things like that at the station,” Casey pointed out.

“Everly and I can swing by the store on the way back to 51 to get supplies,” Dawson said, smiling down at Eden.

There was a knock on the door and Will and Goodwin came in.

“Hello,” Goodwin said.

“Hi, Ms. Goodwin,” I said with a smile.

“I hear you want to foster Eden Quinn until her mother recovers. Is that true?” she asked.

“Yes, it is. I fostered a little boy a few years ago. His mother was a drug addict. She regained custody once she was clean and made a deal with the DA. I would love nothing more than to foster Eden until Christi gets better.”

“You’ll have to fill out some paperwork, but I’m sure we can work something out,” Goodwin said.

“Thank you,” I said.

She nodded and went to put together the paperwork.

“I’m going to get you some supplies to help out until you can get to the store,” Will said.

“Thanks, Will,” I said, hugging him.

“Of course,” he said, smiling.

Once Will left to get supplies, Chief Boden came in and I explained what was going on. He approved of what I was doing, though I could tell he wasn’t entirely thrilled. I knew he was just trying to make sure I didn’t get hurt when it was time to give Eden back to her mom.

“Alright, here we go,” Will said, coming back into the room with his arms full of things.

He set a handful of diapers, wipes, a bottle, powdered formula, a pacifier, and a spare onesie onto the bed.

“I know it isn’t much, but it should be enough to hold you over until you can make a run to the store. She’s only three months old, so she shouldn’t be eating solids yet, so stick to formula. If anything seems wrong with her, call me. Even though she seems healthy, you still need to keep a close eye on her. You have my number. Don’t hesitate to call,” he said, looking at me with a very serious expression.

“We’ll be okay, Will. I promise,” I said.

“Good. I’m going to get her discharge papers signed and then you can be on your way,” he said.

Chief Boden shook Will’s hand before turning back to us.

“Dawson, you and Everly can swing by the store on your way back to 51. I’ll let headquarters know that you’ll be out of service for a few hours until Eden is settled. Severide and Casey, get yourselves and your men back to the house. We’re still on shift,” Boden instructed.

Casey kissed Dawson and headed out to his men, followed closely by Chief Boden. Once they were gone, Severide kissed my gently and said goodbye to a now sleeping Eden before heading after the chief.

“I’m going to go clean up the ambo. If you’re finished with the paperwork before I’m done, just come meet me there,” Dawson said.

I nodded and watched her leave. I looked down at Eden and couldn’t help but smile.

“Everything is going to be just fine, sweetie. Your mom is going to wake up and she’s going to be so happy to see you again,” I whispered to the sleeping infant in my arms.

“Motherhood looks good on you,” a voice said from the doorway.

I turned and saw Dr. Rhodes standing there.

“Hey, Connor,” I said.

“Hey. I just stopped by to say hi and meet the temporary new addition to your family,” he said, walking over to get a closer look at Eden.

“Have you heard anything about her mom?” I asked.

“She’s in a coma. Her brain is pretty banged up and she needed dozens of stitches. She’s in emergency surgery now to try and reduce the swelling in her brain and restore blood-flow to her leg,” he said.

“What are her odds of making it?” I asked.

“It all depends on how surgery goes,” he said.

I nodded understandingly and handed Eden to him so that I could fill out the paperwork that Goodwin had just brought in. When I was finished, I tossed all of the supplies that Will had brought into a bag and added my signature to Eden’s discharge papers.

“You’re good to go. Remember, call if you need anything,” Will said, walking me towards the ambulance.

“I will, I promise. Goodbye, Will.”

“Bye, Grace. Bye, Eden.”

We met Dawson at the ambulance. She was just finishing up wiping the blood off one of the bins when we got there.

“Hey. Ready to go?” she asked.

I nodded and climbed into the back of the ambulance, buckling Eden onto the gurney and sitting in my seat. We headed to the store, Eden sleeping the whole way there. I handed the baby to Dawson when we got inside and grabbed a cart. While I grabbed things I would need, Dawson followed, bouncing as she walked to keep Eden asleep.

“I think that’s it,” I said, looking down at the list Will had given me.

“Should we get a carseat?” she asked.

“Yeah, probably. Otherwise I won’t have any way to bring her back to Med when Christi wakes up,” I said, turning down the carseat aisle.

“Everly, have you ever stopped to think what’s going to happen if Christi doesn’t wake up?” Dawson asked, pointing out a carseat.

“I’ll cross that bridge if we get to it,” I said, looking at the different safety ratings.

I finally picked a carseat and we headed to the checkout. The cashier looked at us with a funny expression when she saw that we had a baby with us even though we were clearly still on duty.

“It’s a long story,” Dawson said to the lady.

The cashier just nodded and continued to ring up our items. I quickly paid for everything and we headed back to the ambulance. The moment we got back to Firehouse 51, everyone came out to see Eden.

“Guys, calm down. She’s not going anywhere,” I said.

Casey and Severide unloaded the things we had bought and took them into the common room.

“Severide, can you set up the pack-and-play so she has somewhere to sleep?” I asked.

“I’ll do it. I can put one of those together in my sleep,” Herrmann said, taking it and heading toward the bunkroom.

“Put it in my quarters so that we can at least close the door and give her some extra quiet,” Severide called after Herrmann.

Eden woke up a few minutes later and started crying. I handed her off to Casey and grabbed one of the bottles and the formula. I scooped the correct amount of formula into the bottle and added water. I shook it hard and tested the temperature on the inside of my wrist.

“What’s that smell?” Mouch asked from the couch.

“She probably needs a diaper change,” I said, putting the bottle in the fridge to cool for a minute.

Otis and Cruz exchanged terrified expressions before making a quick exit, followed closely by Mouch.

“I’ll change her,” Dawson said, taking the baby from her husband.

By the time the bottle was cool enough, Dawson was done changing her. She had stopped crying once she was in a fresh diaper, so Dawson handed her to Severide. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw how comfortable Kelly was with the baby. I could tell this wasn’t his first time holding a baby and dear lord it was sexy.

“Do you want to feed her?” I asked, holding out the bottle.

He shrugged and took it from me, slipping it into Eden’s mouth. She was about halfway done when the alarm bells went off, calling Truck and Squad out to a house fire. Severide handed a scared Eden and the bottle back to me and headed out.  
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Shhhhh. It’s okay,” I said, socking her back and forth soothingly.

When she finally stopped crying, I slipped the bottle back into her mouth and watched her slowly finish it. I tossed the empty bottle in the sink before settling on the couch, putting my feet up so that I could balance the baby on my legs. She stared at me, her green eyes bright with curiosity.

“How’s she doing?” Dawson asked.

“She’s fine. She seems pretty content. Could you bring me her pacifier and one of those thin blankets that we bought?” I asked.

Gabby nodded and located the requested items. I laid the blanket down on the couch and settled Eden in the middle of it before loosely swaddling her and popping the pacifier between her lips. She sucked happily, closing her eyes. Dawson sat next to me and we just watched as the infant fell asleep.

“I always wanted to be a mom,” I said quietly after Eden had fallen asleep.

“Me too. I got a taste of motherhood when we had Louie, but after my miscarriage I haven’t been able to bring myself to want to try again. I just need more time,” Gabby admitted.

“I understand that. I had a miscarriage a little after Andrew’s and my one year anniversary,” I said.

Gabby looked at me in shock.

“You did?” she asked.

“Yeah, I did. I was about 10 weeks along. It happened when I took that week off to visit some extended family. I spent that week at home, recovering,” I admitted.

“Grace, why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her eyes filled with sadness.

“I was embarrassed. I made Andrew swear not to tell anyone. I just came back to work and carried on like nothing had happened. That’s why I made you run up that flight of stairs to help on that call.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone, Grace. I don’t know how I would have made it through my miscarriage without the support of 51,” Gabby said.

“It’s okay. I had Andrew and that was all I needed at the time.”

“I want to try again someday. Just not yet,” Gabby said with a sigh.

I nodded understandingly before standing up.

“I’m going to put her in the pack and play and then I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we go back into service?” I asked.

“Sure. Let me know if you need anything,” she said, turning on the TV.

I headed to Severide’s quarters and settled Eden into the crib, making sure she was good before I kicked off my boots and climbed into Severide’s bed. I turned so that I was facing Eden.

“We’ve got this,” I whispered softly to her.

With that, I closed my eyes and slowly let sleep take over.


	9. Chapter 9

I woke up to the soft sounds of someone talking. I opened my eyes, squinting slightly at the light. Severide was standing there, holding Eden and rocking back and forth.

“You’re going to love Grace. She’s sweet and caring and so incredibly strong,” he whispered to the infant.

“You’re pretty amazing too,” I said quietly.

Severide looked up at me and smiled. He sat next to me on the bed, cradling Eden against his chest.

“It’s pretty hot seeing you with a baby,” I admitted.

He raised his eyebrows at me.

“Is it now? Maybe we’ll have to make a baby then,” he teased.

“Careful. Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I said, kissing him gently.

He just laughed and kissed me back before turning his attention back to Eden. He ran his fingers over her soft, chestnut hair as she smiled.

“I love her little toothless grin,” I said, kissing the baby’s chubby little toes.

“She’s pretty adorable,” he said.

We just sat there with Eden for a few more minutes before I got up to change her diaper. 

“Should we put her in a clean outfit? This one smells like the hospital,” Severide said, holding up the discarded onesie.

“We can just leave her in her diaper for a few minutes until we find one of the onesies Dawson and I bought,” I said, strapping on the clean diaper.

When I was finished, I picked Eden up and headed out to the common room. Severide followed behind me, making faces at the infant.

“Dawson, where did we put the onesies that we bought?” I asked.

“I tossed them in the laundry. They should be almost done by now,” she said, standing and heading towards the laundry room.

I looked down at Eden and noticed that she had started sucking on her hand.

“Are you hungry, sweet pea?” I asked.

Eden gurgled in response, smiling up at me.

“Who wants to feed her?” I asked.

“I’ll do it,” Casey said, holding out his arms.

I handed Eden off to him and went to make a bottle. Dawson dressed the baby in a freshly washed lavender onesie while I heated the formula. Once it was the right temperature, I handed the bottle to Matt and watched as he started to feed her.

“How did you know she was hungry?” Mouch asked.

“She was sucking her hand. One of the kids I babysat in high school used to do the same thing when he was hungry,” I explained.

While Casey fed Eden, Dawson and I went through the things we had bought. Herrmann and Severide headed out to my car to install the carseat while Dawson and I sorted through the other things.

“Let’s just make a pile of everything that can just go straight into your car,” she said, setting aside the extra bottles and formula.

“That’s a good idea. I want to just give her a bath or something in one of the sinks, so don’t put away the soap just yet. She needs one after everything she’s been through today,” I said.

“How about you go give her a bath and I’ll sort through the rest of this,” Dawson said, handing me the bath supplies.

I took the supplies and gestured for Severide to come with me. Casey kissed Eden’s cheeks and tickled her gently before handing her off to me. We decided on the kitchen sink because we could use the spray attachment. While I undressed Eden, Severide filled the sink with a few inches of warm water.

“Make sure it’s not too hot,” I reminded.

He dipped his fingers in the water and flicked it at me.

“How’s that?” he asked with a grin.

“It’s fine,” I said, wiping the water droplets off my face.

I carefully lowered Eden into the sink, slowly letting her get used to the water. Severide held her steady while I squeezed baby shampoo into my palm. I used a coffee mug to pour water over the baby’s hair before gently massaging the shampoo into her scalp.

“Look, she likes it,” Severide said as Eden closed her eyes and smiled.

“Do you like that, sweet girl?” I asked, filling the cup with water.

I rinsed her hair, being careful not to get any soap in the infant’s eyes. Once I was satisfied that all the shampoo was gone, I grabbed a washcloth and the body wash. While I washed her tiny body, Severide made faces at her. She gurgled at him in response, making him smile.

“I think she likes you,” I said, gently rinsing the soap off her chubby little arms.

“She’s pretty damn cute,” he said.

I nodded and continued to rinse her off. When I was finished, I grabbed a towel. Severide picked her up out of the sink and I wrapped her up and started drying her off.

“How’s the squish?” Otis asked, coming into the common room.

“Fresh as a daisy,” I said, holding her up so he could see.

When I was done drying her off, I made Severide spread a blanket on the couch so I could lay her down on it. I put a clean diaper on her and zipped her into tiny, footed onesie pajamas. I had just finished when Chief Boden came in.

“Dawson, Everly. Headquarters just called and asked if you’re ready for Ambulance 61 to be put back into service,” he said.

“Yes, we’re ready,” Dawson said.

I nodded in agreement. Chief Boden nodded back and went back to his office to tell Headquarters.

“What happens if we all get called out? Who’s going to watch Eden?” Cruz asked.

“I’ll see if Connie is willing. Otherwise I could see if Antonio is available,” Dawson said.

She took Eden from me and headed towards Connie’s desk. While she was gone, I took the box of things Dawson had deemed unnecessary in the immediate future and headed out to my car. I smiled when I saw the carseat installed in the backseat of my Chevy Equinox. I had bought the car a few months ago when Andrew and I had considered trying again for a baby.

I settled the box of supplied into the backseat and headed back into the firehouse. I had just entered the common room when the alarm bells went off.

Ambulance 61. Person down from unknown cause.

Dawson handed Eden to Casey and we jogged out to the ambo. She flipped on the sirens and we headed out.

“Parenthood looks good on you and Severide,” she said, turning out of the driveway.

“It’s really sweet to see how good he is with babies,” I commented.

“I always love seeing the way Matt interacts with kids. It’s pretty sexy,” she said.

I laughed and nodded in agreement. We pulled up to the address and jumped out. I grabbed the jump bag while Dawson got the stair chair. She knocked on the door.

“Fire Department,” she called.

The door opened, revealing a man covered in blood.

“What happened?” Dawson asked, searching the man for the source of the bleeding.

“It’s not my blood. It’s my neighbor, Mary’s. I came over when I heard screaming,” he said, pulling us inside.

We followed him into the kitchen and found a woman laying on the ground in a pool of blood. She had multiple stab wounds and was completely unconscious.

“Did you see who did this?” I asked, pulling items out of the jump bag while Dawson radioed for police.

“No, I just hear her screaming so I came over. I used my key to get in,” he said.

“We need to move now. Her pulse is barely there. She’s lost a lot of blood,” Dawson said.

We quickly applied pressure dressings to her wounds to help stop the bleeding and I intubated her. Dawson ran to grab the backboard and I applied a c-collar just to be safe. We got her on the backboard and the man helped us carry her out to the gurney. The police arrived just as we were loading her into the ambo.

“We need to move her now. We’ll meet you at the hospital,” Dawson said the officers.

She jumped into the drivers seat while I got an IV in her arm. I had just taped it in place when the cardiac monitor showed that she was going into cardiac arrest.

“She’s crashing!” I yelled, getting the paddles.

I shocked her once. Nothing.

“Pushing epi!” I said.

Still nothing. I shocked her again. I pushed another round of epi. Nothing. The monitor flatlined.

“Starting compressions!”

I started doing CPR compressions. We pulled up to the hospital a minute later. I continued doing compressions, straddling the woman, kneeling on the gurney, and continuing compressions while the nurses helped Dawson unload the gurney. Dawson gave the rundown to the doctors and nurses while we ran into the ER.

“Everly, switch on the count of 3,” Dr. Choi said.

“1, 2, 3!” I said.

I stopped compressions and Dr. Choi immediately took over. We tried to get her back for the next 15 minutes before Dr. Choi determined it was time to call it.

“Time of death: 18:56.”

The room was silent for a minute as we all looked at the woman in front of us. The bloodstained sheet, the now unnecessary tube sticking out of her mouth. I pulled off my gloves and threw them away before heading to the Nurse’s Station. I had just started to fill out the necessary paperwork when Jay and Erin walked in.

“Hey, Everly,” Erin said.

“Hey, guys. I’m assuming you’re here about the stabbing victim?”

They nodded. Dawson came out of the room and joined us.

“We arrived on scene at 7:10 pm. Mary’s neighbor answered the door and led us to the victim. He said he came over when he heard her scream. We immediately got to work on her and radioed for police. Officers arrived just as we were loading the victim into the ambulance. She flatlined just as we arrived, so I started compressions. Dr. Choi took over and we continued life-saving efforts for another 15 minutes before deciding to discontinue. The time of death was 7:56 pm,” I said.

Dawson worked on the paperwork while I talked to Halstead and Lindsay. Dr. Choi came out to talk to them, but was called away on an emergency page.

“We’ll look into it and let you know if we need anything else. Thank you for your help,” Jay said.

They said goodbye and left. I found Dawson and we restocked the ambulance before heading back to 51. We drove in silence, both of us saddened by the fact that we couldn’t save Mary. When we got back to the firehouse Casey and Severide, as well as a very fussy Eden, greeted us.

“What happened?” they asked, seeing our faces.

“We lost the patient,” Dawson said.

Casey came over and embraced his wife while Severide walked over to me, carrying Eden. He kissed my forehead, but I could tell all he wanted to do was hold me in his arms.

“Why are you so mad?” I asked the fussy infant in Severide’s arms.

“She’s been upset since you left,” Severide said.

He handed her over to me and I situated her so that her head rested comfortably in my elbow. She calmed down immediately and just gazed up at me, her green eyes still wet from the tears.

“How’d you do that?” Casey asked.

I shrugged, looking up at him.

“I’ve always been good with kids and babies,” I explained.

Eden started to doze in my arms as I swayed gently from side to side. I went and sat on my bunk, propping myself up against the headboard with pillows. My phone rang a few minutes later. I saw that it was Will calling, so I slid my finger across the screen to answer.

“Hey, Will. Can I call you back in just a minute? I need to put Eden down,” I said quietly.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he responded.

I ended the call and shoved my phone into my pocket before standing up. Once Eden was settled in her crib in Severide’s quarters, I went outside and called Will back.

“Hey, Will. Sorry about that. What’s going on?” I asked.

“Hey. You’re on speaker and Goodwin is here with me. We have an update on Christi Quinn,” he said.

“How is she doing?” I asked.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. My stomach dropped and my heart started pounding.

“Will, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Grace, Christi is in a coma,” Will said.

“What are her chances of waking up?” I asked, looking up as Dawson came outside and started walking towards me.

“We’ll know more in the next 72 hours. We’ll update you as soon as we have more to tell you,” Goodwin said.

“Okay,” I said.

“How is Eden doing? Are you going to be able to take her for a little bit longer?” Will asked.

“Eden is doing fine. She’s asleep right now. I’ll take her for however long it takes for Christi to wake up.”

“Let us know if you change your mind,” Goodwin said.

“Okay. I’ve got to go. Call when you have an update please,” I said.

We said goodbye and I hung up. Dawson looked at me, worry etched in her features.

“Christi slipped into a coma. They’ll know more in 72 hours,” I said.

“Are you going to keep Eden?” Dawson asked.

I nodded. She pulled me into a hug.

“I want to take Eden to go see her after shift,” I said when Dawson let me go.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.

“I’d really appreciate that.”

We headed back inside. Everyone looked up when we came back in, sensing that I had news.

“Christi is in a coma. They’ll know more about her chances in 72 hours. I’m going to keep Eden in the meantime,” I said.

“We’re all here to support you if you need help with Eden,” Chief Boden said.

“Thank you,” I replied.

I made my way to Severide’s quarters. I sat cross-legged on his bed and stared down at the tiny infant sleeping in the grey and white pack and play. I felt my heart hurt a little when I came to the realization that this little girl’s mother might die before she’s even old enough to remember her. I sat there for a long time, just watching her sleep.

“How is she?” Severide asked, coming into the tiny room.

“She’s fine,” I said, not looking up from the sleeping figure.

“You can leave her side, Ev. She’s not going to disappear,” he said, sitting next to me.

“She’s been through so much at such a young age and she doesn’t even know it,” I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.

“That little girl is in the most capable hands to help her through all of this bullshit. You being the one to take care of her until her mom wakes up is the best thing she has going for her right now,” he said.

“What if Christi never wakes up?” I asked, finally looking over at Severide.

“Then we’ll take care of her and raise her into an amazing young woman who knows that her mother loved her more than anything in the world,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“I’m not going to be able to do this alone,” I said.

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have me and every other person in the firehouse helping you every single step of the way,” he said.

“I want to stop by her house tomorrow and see if there’s some sentimental things of hers that I can borrow to make her feel more at home,” I said.

“That sounds like a good idea. But for now you should get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on Eden,” Severide said.

He stood up and pulled me off the bed. I slid off my boots and watched as he pulled down the covers before I climbed in. Severide tucked me in and kissed me sweetly before sitting down at his desk chair to work on some paperwork.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too, baby. Now get some sleep.”


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up to the sounds of the alarm bells, closely followed by Eden crying.

Squad 3, Truck 81, Ambulance 61. Structure fire.

I slid my feet into my boots and laced them up quickly before grabbing Eden’s pacifier and slipping it into her mouth. I picked her up and cradled her for a second while Severide put his boots on.

“Shhhh. It’s okay, sweetheart. Connie is going to watch you while I’m gone, okay?”

I quickly located Connie and passed Eden off to her.

“Thank you so much for staying late to help,” I said to Connie as I kissed Eden goodbye.

Connie nodded sleepily and I ran to the ambulance. I hopped in and Dawson flipped on the sirens. As we sped through the streets of Chicago, Gabby and I talked about finding childcare for Eden if I ended up taking her permanently.

“Didn’t Connie’s sister watch Louie for you?” I asked.

“Yeah, she did. Her name was Bonnie. I still can’t get over that. Connie and Bonnie,” Dawson said with a laugh.

“Can you give me her number when we get back?” I asked as we turned onto the scene.

“Of course.”

Gabby parked and we jumped out, grabbing the gurney and our jump bags. We learned a few minutes later that the family that lived in the house was on vacation for the next week. Dawson and I waited until we got the all clear from Chief Boden before packing up and heading back to 51, our services not necessary at the scene.

“That was fast,” Connie said, handing me a sleeping Eden.

“No victims,” Dawson explained.

“I’m going to go put her back in the crib. Thanks again for helping, Connie. I really appreciate it,” I said, shooting her a smile.

I took Eden back to Severide’s quarters and settled her in the pack and play. Once I was confident that she was okay, I flipped on the baby monitor that Dawson and I had bought and took the receiver out into the common room with me.

“I texted you Bonnie’s number,” Dawson said.

“Thank you. I just hope she’s available if I need her,” I said, grabbing a container of ice cream from the freezer.

I handed Dawson a spoon and sat next to her on the couch. We ate the ice cream from the container in silence, waiting for our men to get back.

“Dawson, do you think I’d be a good mom?” I asked.

“Of course. I think you’re going to be an amazing mom. Why do you ask?”

“The reality that I might become Eden’s permanent home is starting to sink in,” I said.

“If that does end up being the case, you will have all of us standing right behind you to catch you in the unlikely event that you fall. You are one of the strongest, most selfless people I know. Any child would be lucky to have you as a mom,” Gabby said.

I thanked her just as Truck and Squad pulled into the firehouse. We watched through the windows as they all got out, stripping off their turnout gear and coming into the common room.

“How’d it go?” I asked as they all filed in.

“It was fine. Nothing exciting happened,” Otis said.

I followed Severide back to his quarters, shutting the door and closing the blinds. He looked over at me, his eyebrows raised.

“Don’t look at me like that. There’s a baby present,” I said, walking over to him.

He wrapped me up in a tight hug. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent. He smelled of smoke with a faint touch of his body wash. We just held each other for a little while, not because either one of us particularly needed to be held, but because we just wanted to soak in the love we had for each other.

“Was it a hard call?” I asked after a little bit.

“No, not really. There weren’t any victims and the fire wasn’t particularly horrendous. It was a pretty boring call, actually,” he said, his chin resting on top of my head.

I looked over at the clock on his bedside table. It was well into the early hours of the morning, growing increasingly closer to the end of shift.

“I was planning on swinging by the hospital before I go to Christi’s house. I want to see how she’s doing and talk to Will,” I said.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, finally letting go.

“You’re more than welcome to come. Dawson is coming too,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“You know, we haven’t really talked about what we’re going to do if Christi doesn’t wake up,” he said, looking down at the sleeping infant.

“If you don’t want her in the apartment then I can move out and find a new place. It doesn’t have to come between us,” I said, feeling a flicker of panic.

“Everly, slow down. I have no problem with Eden coming home with us. In fact, I look forward to it. Clarice, Shay’s ex-girlfriend, stayed with Shay and I when she had her baby. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed having the little guy around,” Severide said.

“Are you sure you want to do this with me?” I asked, looking him in the eye.

“Absolutely,” he said, his voice unwavering.

We laid back on the bed, wrapped up in each other. Dozing in and out of sleep, we stayed there until Eden woke up. Severide was out, so I untangled myself from his grasp and cuddled the baby. I grabbed a clean diaper and her blanket and pacifier before heading out to the common room. Casey and Kidd were the only other ones up and about, so I asked Casey to make a bottle while Kidd helped me get Eden changed and ready for the day.

“She’s pretty cute,” Kidd said, snuggling the baby while I checked the temperature of the bottle Casey had handed me.

I took Eden from Kidd and settled on the couch, making sure not to take Mouch’s beloved spot, and started feeding Eden. By the time she was finished with the bottle, everyone else was awake. Dawson handed me a cup of coffee in exchange for the baby, a trade that I happily agreed to. Chief Boden came into the room and cleared his throat.

“I wanted to talk to all of you before the end of shift. Eden is not just Everly’s responsibility. She’s a part of this family now. We are all here to help in any way that we can,” he said, looking around the room.

Everyone nodded and looked over at the baby in Dawson’s arms. As I looked around the room, the fear of being Eden’s permanent home melted away. I knew that if Christi didn’t wake up, I would be the most supported and encouraged foster mom in the world.

“Do you want me to bring the carseat inside to strap her in or do you want to just bring her out to the car?” Severide asked as everyone started getting ready to go home.

“If you could bring it inside, that would be great. Just unsnap the seat from the base,” I said.

He nodded and headed out to my car while I gathered up the rest of Eden’s things as well as my own. I changed into my regular clothes quickly, watching Casey and Dawson play with Eden while I got ready.

“Alright, my turn,” I said, holding my arms out.

Casey kissed Eden on the forehead before handing her over to me. Severide came back a few moments later with the infant carseat and I buckled Eden in, making sure everything was done correctly.

“Are you wanting to go the hospital first or the house?” Dawson asked.

“I was originally thinking the hospital, but I want to swing by the house first and see if there’s any pictures or anything there that I can take to Christi’s hospital room,” I said.

“That’s a good idea. Casey and I will meet you at the house,” Dawson said, taking her husband’s hand and heading out.

I picked up the carseat while Severide grabbed all of Eden’s things and we walked out to my car. I snapped the seat to the base, making sure Eden was secure before sliding into the passenger seat.

“Thank you,” I said as we pulled away from 51.

“For what?” Severide asked.

“For supporting me in this. And for loving me so unconditionally.”

“Ev, I will always be here for you,” he said, taking my hand in his free one.

I looked back at Eden and smiled when I saw that she had fallen asleep. We drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, hand in hand.

“Why are Ruzek and Burgess here?” Severide asked as we pulled up the Christi and Eden’s house.

“I asked them to come so the neighbors don’t freak out when they see people taking things from a comatose person’s home,” I explained.

“That makes sense,” Severide said, parking.

Casey and Dawson pulled up a moment later. We greeted Adam and Kim before heading inside. The hole in the wall had been covered with a tarp, but there was debris all over the lower level. I found an empty box and located Eden’s room.

“What kind of things are you looking for?” Ruzek asked, unbuckling Eden from her carseat.

“Clothes, bottles, etc. Anything I might need to take care of Eden to the best of my ability,” I said.

Kim, Gabby, and I started picking things while the boys entertained a now awake Eden. I grabbed a bunch of pacifiers, toys, blankets, books, and a handful of photos before heading to the kitchen. I searched through the cabinets, finding bottles, formula, and a bottle warmer.

“I have my truck, so you can take the highchair, crib, and bigger things like that,” Casey said.

“How about you give me the baby and go load the big things into your truck then,” I suggested.

He handed me Eden and rounded up the boys to do as I asked. Dawson located a stroller that happened to be compatible with the brand of carseat I had bought yesterday. Kim came downstairs a few minutes later with a baby carrier and a wrap.

“I never understood how people tied these. I would not feel safe with my baby tied to my chest with a long piece of stretchy fabric,” she said, tossing them in the box.

“I’ll figure it out. I’m sure there’s a video on YouTube,” I said.

We did one last sweep of the house, grabbing a few last minute things. Once we were finished, I strapped Eden back into her carseat and secured it in the backseat.

“Thank you for your help,” I said, hugging Burgess and Ruzek.

“Of course. Feel free to call if you need anything else,” Ruzek said.

After they left, I turned to Casey and Dawson.

“We should probably drop all of this stuff off at our place before we go to the hospital,” I said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. We all loaded up and headed towards the apartment. When we got there, Casey and Severide carried the heavy things upstairs while Dawson and I organized the clothes and other items.

“Should we just turn my room into the nursery since I don’t really sleep there anymore? That way we still have a guest room in case someone needs it,” I said.

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Severide said.

He and Matt moved the bed that was in my room down into the guest room, which luckily didn’t have a bed yet. Dawson and I set everything else up while the boys moved the crib and changing table into the room. Once we were finished, we headed towards the hospital, stopping for lunch on the way.

“We’re here for Christi Quinn,” I said to the nurse at the front desk when we walked into Chicago Med.

“She’s in the ICU. Are you family?” the nurse asked.

“No, we’re the paramedics and firefighters that brought her in,” I said.

“I’ll have to ask her doctor if it’s okay for you to visit,” she said, picking up the phone.

“It’s fine, Madison. They have full visitation rights,” Maggie said, coming out of a room.

“Hey, Maggie,” I said, hugging the nurse.

“I’m sorry,” Madison said, handing us visitor passes.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dawson said with a smile.

We followed Maggie to Christi’s room. My grip on the carseat handle tightened a little as we walked through the door. Christi was hooked up to a ventilator with multiple IVs and EKG leads everywhere.

“We’ll give you some time with her,” Severide said.

Dawson, Casey, Severide, and Maggie left the room, sliding the glass door closed behind them. I set the carseat down on the ground and unbuckled Eden. I cradled her sleeping form in my arms for a second before laying her across her mother’s chest. I let the sleeping infant lay on her mom for a while, listening to the clicks of the ventilators and the beeps of the heart monitor.

“Hey,” Will said, coming in to the room.

“Hi. How’s she doing?” I asked, putting Eden back in her carseat so Will could examine Christi.

“She suffered a traumatic brain injury along with several internal injuries. We were able to stop the bleeding, but it’s not looking good,” Will said, his eyes sad.

“Has she had any visitors?” I asked.

“Not that I know of. She doesn’t have any living relatives and Eden’s father died while overseas. She doesn’t have anyone.”

“That just breaks me heart,” I admitted.

“Mine too. I’ve got to get going, but I’ll call later tonight to check on Eden,” he said.

“Sounds good. Thank you, Will,” I said, hugging him.

Once Will had left, Severide, Dawson, and Casey came in. I dug my hand into my bag and pulled out a photo of Christi holding Eden a few minutes after she had given birth that I had found in Eden’s nursery. I set the picture on the bedside table, angling it so that the woman would be able to see it when she woke up.

“We should get going. I forgot to pack a baby bag and Eden should be getting hungry soon,” I said.

We all left quietly, saying goodbye to Maggie on the way out. Dawson and Casey headed back to their place while Severide and I went back to ours. Eden woke up and started fussing during the ride. By the time we got back to the apartment, she was in tears.

“You get her out of the car. I’m going to run upstairs and get a bottle started,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

I raced upstairs, spooning formula into a bottle and adding water. I shook the bottle and tucked it in to the bottle warmer. By the time Severide got upstairs with Eden and she was out of the carseat, the bottle was warm. I cradled her in my arms and popped the bottle in her mouth. She quieted down immediately as she drank.

“What do you want to do for the rest of the day?” Severide asked, setting the carseat out of the way.

“I don’t have any plans. I kind of want to just stay home and relax,” I said.

“Go take a shower and a nap. I’ll watch Eden,” he said.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He nodded and took Eden and the bottle from me. I kissed him swiftly before heading towards the shower. I just stood in the warm water for a little bit, letting the water wash away the insanity of the last 24 hours. Once I was clean, I towel-dried my hair and tossed it up in a messy bun. I pulled on a pair of joggers and a thin t-shirt before climbing into Severide’s bed and falling into a deep sleep.

I woke up an hour or so later to the sound of my phone ringing. Sleepily, I slid my thumb across the screen and held it up to my ear.

“Hello?” I answered groggily.

“Everly, it’s Connor Rhodes.”

“Hi, Dr. Rhodes. What’s going on?” I asked, sitting up.

“Christi Quinn went into cardiac arrest.”

“Is she okay now?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”

“What are you trying to say, Connor?”

“Grace, Christi Quinn is dead.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a little short, but I wanted to make the visit with Goodwin and DCFS its own chapter. Thank you for your understanding!

I sat there frozen, unable to speak. Christi was dead. Eden’s mom was dead.

“Grace, are you there?” Dr. Rhodes asked.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

“I’m going to give you some time to process what’s going on. Come by Chicago Med in the morning and we can decided how to proceed with Eden. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Call if you need anything. Bye, Grace.”

“Bye.”

Severide came into the room a few moments after I hung up, Eden in his arms.

“Hey, you are awake. I thought I heard you talking to someone,” he said.

I just stared at him, still unable to wrap my head around what all this meant.

“Baby, are you okay?” he asked, stepping closer.

“Christi is dead,” I whispered.

Severide looked at me, his eyes wide. We just stared at each other for a minute, our minds racing. Eventually, our eyes turned to the baby in Kelly’s arms. The room was enrobed in a heavy silence. Even Eden was quiet, sensing that something was wrong.

“I’m going to put Eden to bed now,” I said, breaking the silence.

Taking the baby from Severide, I took her to my old room. Grabbing pajamas and a clean diaper, I settled her on the changing table. Once she was dressed, I laid her in the crib that now occupied part of the back wall. I kissed her forehead and turned off the lights, closing the door behind me as I left.

When I got downstairs, Severide was sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking a beer. He pushed a glass of wine towards me. I walked over and sat next to him, taking a long sip of the red liquid. We just sat there for a little while, drinking and thinking.

“I love you,” he said quietly, breaking the silence.

“I love you too,” I said.

He stood and pulled me into a hug. I buried my face in his chest, letting the scent of his body wash pour over me in a calming wave. As we stood there, holding each other, I slowly began to process what Christi’s passing meant for not only me, but also for the man that was currently rubbing circles on my back.

“I’m scared,” I admitted quietly.

“It’s okay to be scared. We’re in this together though,” he reminded.

I nodded, pulling away so I could look him in the eyes.

“I’m really lucky to have you,” I said.

“And I’m lucky to have you.”

There was a knock on the door and I went to answer it. I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Dawson and Casey. I unlocked the door and pulled it open.

“Hey. What are you guys doing here?” I asked, letting them in.

“Dr. Rhodes called and told us what happened,” Gabby said, pulling me into a hug.

“He didn’t have to do that. And you guys didn’t have to come over,” I said, hugging her back.

“We know. But we wanted to check in and see how you guys were taking the news,” Casey said, hugging me after Dawson moved to hug Severide.

“We’re doing okay. A little nervous and scared, but we know we’ll be okay in the end,” I said.

“Have you told anyone else yet?” Dawson asked.

I shook my head and handed her a glass of wine.

“We just got the news not that long ago. We actually haven’t even had a chance to talk about how or when we’re going to tell everyone. Dr. Rhodes said that I should come in in the morning and meet with him, Goodwin, and DCFS to talk about permanent placement for Eden, wherever that may be,” I said.

“Why would she go anywhere else? She should be with you,” Dawson said, frowning.

“It doesn’t work that way, Dawson. The only reason I was allowed to take her in the first place was because there weren’t many options and I have a history of being a foster parent. As much as I would love to keep Eden, there’s a chance that might not even be an option,” I said.

“Let me know if things don’t go the way you want. I can talk to some people and try and call in some favors,” Casey said, taking a swig of the beer Severide had handed him.

“I appreciate the offer, but there’s no need. If it’s determined that Eden can’t stay with me for whatever reason, then that’s what’s best for her.”

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t grant you custody of her. Like you said, you have a fostering history and you’ve obviously done a good job of taking care of Eden over the past few days. Besides, Eden has already taken to you,” Severide said.

Both Dawson and Casey nodded their agreement. I just smiled at my man, taking a sip of my wine. A few moments later, there was a soft cry over the baby monitor.

“I’ve got her,” I said, setting down my wine glass.

I went upstairs and headed to the nursery. I opened the door and turned on a lamp that sat on the dresser. Eden was kicking her tiny feet, her eyes full of tears.

“Hey, sweet girl. What’s wrong?” I asked.

She just looked at me, her bottom lip pouted out. I laughed and scooped her up. She snuggled into me, but kept crying. I switched off the lamp and headed downstairs. When I got there, Severide handed me a freshly made bottle and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I stuck the bottle in Eden’s mouth, rocking her back and forth softly as she drank.

“Look at you two. You’ve already got this parenting thing down,” Dawson said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes at her before turning my attention back to the infant in my arms. Eden’s eyes started to flutter closed as she drank. After a little while, she stopped sucking as she fell asleep. I pulled the bottle out of her mouth and set it in the sink. Severide held his arms out and I carefully transferred the sleeping baby into his arms. While he put her back to bed, I washed the bottle before placing it in the bottle sanitizer we had found at Christi’s house.

“I’m going to have to talk to Voight about whether or not we can keep all of the things we borrowed from Christi’s house,” I said, leaning against the counter.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to,” Casey said.

“I don’t either, but I want to make sure DCFS doesn’t have any reason not to let Eden stay with us,” I said.

Severide came back downstairs a few minutes later.

“Is she asleep?” I asked.

He nodded, checking the baby monitor on the counter to make sure it was on. I smiled at his actions. I had always known he would be a protective father and it warmed my heart to see my suspicions come to life.

“We should get going. Do you want us to come with you tomorrow?” Dawson asked.

“It never hurts to have extra support,” I said with a smile.

“We’ll be there then,” Casey said.

We all said our goodbyes and Severide and I walked Dawson and Casey to the door. Once they were gone, Severide turned to me.

“I need a shower. Care to join me?” he asked with a teasing smile.

My hand subconsciously flew to cover my abdomen, Severide’s eyes following my movements. Nobody had seen the scar that ran four inches above and below my bellybutton, the result of the surgery that had saved my life only a few weeks ago. Just the thought of anyone, especially the man I loved, seeing it made me sick to my stomach.

“I’m okay. I can just shower in the morning,” I said, turning away.

“Grace…”

I felt his arms wrap around me as his hands come to rest atop the thin fabric of my shirt that covered that ugly scar. I flinched at the contact. Severide turned me around in his arms and knelt so that he was face-to-face with my stomach. He pushed my shirt up with one hand, revealing the freshly healed strip of skin.

“Kelly, please,” I begged, tears welling up in my eyes.

I screwed my eyes shut, unable to look at what I was sure was a disgusted look on his face. But instead of feeling him pull away, I felt him kiss from the very top of the scar all the way down to where it ended at the waist of my leggings. I gasped at the sensation of his lips against my skin. When he was finished, he stood. I opened my eyes and was met with a small smile playing across his perfect lips.

“That scar is a part of you now. And I love you,” he said, looking me in the eyes.

It was in that moment that all of my worries melted away and I knew that I was looking at the love of my life. I pulled him to me, kissing him with every ounce of passion I could muster. He kissed me back, matching every drop of emotion. When we finally separated, I looked at him with a sweet smile.

“Maybe I will join you in the shower.”

Severide’s eyes lit up at my words and he immediately took my hand in his, pulling me up the stairs and into the bathroom. He turned on the water and we both stripped, watching each other. Goosebumps rose across my skin as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me under the water with him. I reached for my shampoo, but he took it from me and squirted it into his own hands.

“Turn around,” he said.

I obliged and sighed happily as his fingers massaged my scalp. The scent of my coconut shampoo filled the room as Severide washed my hair. When he was finished, he maneuvered me under the stream of water and rinsed every trace of soap from my hair. Once he was finished, I grabbed his shampoo and returned the favor. Afterwards, he reached for the body wash, but I stopped him before he could open it.

“There’s a baby asleep in the other room. Remember that,” I said, looking him the eyes.

He just smiled and popped open the lid. My eyes closed involuntarily as his large hands ran up and down my back, dragging bubbles across my bare skin. He continued down to my legs, kneeling in front of me once again. I bit my lip and his hands rose higher and higher up my thighs.

“Kelly…” I whispered.

His hands slid softly but quickly up the backs of my thighs and all the way up to my shoulders.

“I think you’re clean now,” he said, his eyes full of teasing.

“I hate you,” I said, slightly disappointed.

“Grace, as much fun as I want to have with you right now, you’re much to special for our first time to be in a shower,” he said.

I sighed and stepped back into the spray of water, rinsing the soap from my skin. Once I was sure I was rinsed off, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself up in one of the fluffy white towels. Severide followed closely behind. My hair was already reverting back to its wavy curls as I ran a comb through the tangles. Once I was finished, I towel-dried it and tossed it in a bun while Severide located a pair of clean boxers for himself and sweatpants and a shirt for me.

We fell into bed, exhausted but happy.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked, pulling me closer to him.

“Not in the slightest,” I admitted.

“Everything’s going to be fine. You’re the best person for Eden to be with and anyone who thinks otherwise is either blind or stupid,” he said.

I laughed and kissed his cheek. Severide fell asleep a little while later, but I just laid there next to him, too nervous to sleep. I looked over at the baby monitor that was on my bedside table, searching for the little green light to make sure it was on and at full volume. Once I was satisfied that I would hear it if Eden woke up in the middle of the night, I let myself close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

A few hours later, I woke up to cries coming from the monitor and Severide getting out of bed.

“I’ve got her. Go back to sleep,” he said.

“Are you sure?” I asked as he headed towards the door.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

I nodded and rolled over, falling back asleep almost instantaneously.


	12. Chapter 12

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

I gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that Severide held out to me as I came down the stairs. He had woken up before me, which was a rare occurrence.

“Where’s Eden?” I asked, looking around the room.

“She’s upstairs, still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her up just yet,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“We should leave in a little more than an hour,” I said, looking at the clock.

“I can do that. What do you want for breakfast?” he asked, opening the fridge.

“I don’t want anything fancy. I’m too nervous to eat much of anything.”

“How about yogurt and fruit?” he suggested.

“Sounds good. I’m going to go get dressed and then get Eden ready. Please wear something relatively nice today. Jeans and a nice shirt,” I said.

He nodded and got to work washing grapes. I made my way back upstairs and into the bedroom. Searching through the closet, I found my favorite pair of cuffed dark wash jeans and a white and black striped t-shirt. I threw a black cardigan over top and found a pair of black, heeled sandals.

“You look good,” Severide said, coming into the room.

“Thank you,” I said, kissing him on my way to go get Eden ready.

Eden was just waking up when I walked into the nursery.

“Good morning, jellybean,” I said, picking her up.

“Jellybean? That’s an interesting nickname,” a voice said from behind me.

I spun around, my arms automatically wrapping around Eden protectively. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was only Dawson.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, walking towards me.

“My mom used to call me jellybean when I was a baby. She said that when she first saw me on the ultrasound, I looked exactly like a jellybean and my dad was worried that I was just a jellybean that my mom had swallowed whole,” I explained.

“That’s weirdly adorable,” she said, handing me a clean diaper while I stripped off Eden’s pajamas.

“I always thought it was kind of silly but then I saw a copy of Christi’s ultrasound from when she was pregnant with Eden at the house and she looked exactly like a jellybean. I’m sure it’s insanely common, but it reminded me of my mom,” I said.

“It’s sweet,” Dawson insisted.

I searched through the dresser drawers for a matching outfit to put Eden into. I eventually settled on a tiny floral onesie with a pale pink cardigan and grey leggings.

“She looks adorable,” Casey said, coming into the room.

“Thank you,” I said, picking her up and handing her over to him.

We all went downstairs and I grabbed a bottle from the fridge and stuck it in the warmer. While I waited for the bottle to heat to the right temperature, I grabbed a big spoonful of yogurt and a bunch of the fruit Severide had cut up and started eating.

“I’ve got it,” Dawson said as I reached for the warmed up bottle.

I ate quickly while Dawson fed the baby. Eden was almost finished when Severide came downstairs, dressed in jeans and a black sweater.

“Dressy enough?” he asked.

“It’s perfect,” I replied, rinsing out my bowl and putting it in the dishwasher.

Dawson grabbed a nearby burp cloth and burped Eden while I ran upstairs to brush my teeth. When I came back down, Severide had strapped Eden into her carseat and Dawson was shoving clean diapers into the black leather tote/diaper bag that we had found at Christi’s house.

“Have you packed any bottles yet?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Gabby said.

I grabbed two lean bottles and scooped the right amount of formula into them before screwing the lids on to them and tossing them to Dawson.

“Don’t you need water?” Casey asked.

I held up two bottles of water and tossed them to him. Once everything was ready, Dawson and Casey headed to Matt’s truck while Severide and I went to my car. He snapped the carseat into the base, making sure Eden was secure, while I climbed into the drivers seat and started the car.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as we drove.

“Surprisingly calm,” I said, stopping at a red light.

“Good.”

I pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine. We sat there for a moment, just gathering our thoughts and preparing ourselves for what lay ahead.

“Ready?” Severide asked after a moment.

I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt. Severide got Eden while I grabbed the diaper bag, siding the strap over my shoulder. We walked into the hospital, hand in hand. Dawson and Casey were talking to April when we walked in. When they saw us, they said goodbye to her and came over.

“I’m going to text Rhodes and let him know we’re here,” I said, pulling out my phone.

“April already paged him. He should be here any minute,” Dawson said.

Sure enough, Dr. Rhodes rounded the corner moments after the words left Gabby’s mouth.

“Hello,” he said, coming up to us.

“Hey,” I said.

“Goodwin and the person from DCFS are up in the conference room. She said to come up when you’re ready,” Connor said, shaking hands with Casey and Severide.

“There’s no time like the present,” I said.

Once we were in the elevator, I took Eden out of her carseat and put the diaper bag in her place. I adjusted her outfit, smoothing out the wrinkles. I felt my heart pound as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Rhodes led the way and knocked on the heavy wooden door of the conference room. We heard Goodwin’s voice tell us to come in and Connor pushed the door open.

I smiled when I saw whom the lady from DCFS.

“It’s wonderful to see you, Ms. Cantrell,” I said.

“It’s good to see you too, Miss Everly,” she said, smiling warmly.

Any nerves that I had vanished. Tina Cantrell had been the social worker that’d helped Dawson foster Louie.

“This must be Eden,” she said, indicating the baby in my arms.

“Yes, it is,” I said, looking down at the infant.

“It’s my understanding that you’ve been taking care of her since the accident that caused Ms. Quinn’s injuries,” Ms. Cantrell said.

“That is correct. I volunteered to care for Eden once it was determined that Christi Quinn was unable to do so due to her condition. Ms. Goodwin helped me with the correct paperwork and Eden went back to Firehouse 51 with me for the rest of the shift. I received a phone call from one of Ms. Quinn’s doctors, Dr. Halstead, later in the evening and he informed me that Christi had officially been pronounced comatose. He asked if I was able to take care of Eden for a little while longer and I said that I was.”

Ms. Cantrell nodded, writing things down on a pad of paper as I talked. She looked up when she was finished.

“What happened once you finished your shift?” she asked.

“My partner, Gabriela Dawson, and I had gone to the store on our way home from Chicago Med and picked up a carseat and other necessities, so I was able to drive Eden back to Christi’s house to pick up some of Eden’s things. Two members of CPD Intelligence, Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek, as well as Gabriela Dawson and her husband, Matthew Casey, met me there. They all assisted me in transferring some of Eden’s things back to my apartment. Afterwards, Gabby, Casey, Severide, and I all went to the hospital to visit Christi,” I said.

“At what point did you learn that Ms. Quinn had passed?” Ms. Cantrell asked.

“I heard of her death yesterday in the late afternoon,” I said.

“Does anyone else live in the apartment with you?” she asked.

“Yes. Kelly Severide and I share the apartment. He is a member of Squad 3 at Firehouse 51. We’ve worked together for 6 years.”

“Has he been a part of you helping to care for Eden?”

“Yes, he has helped. He’s helped with feeding and changing her, as well as installing the carseat in my car.”

We went back and forth like this for a while, her asking and me answering. Eventually, she ran out of questions and excused herself from the room to call her supervisor with her decision. Eden started to fuss while we waited for Ms. Cantrell to come back, so Severide made a bottle from the supplies in the diaper bag and handed it to me. Eden was about halfway finished when Ms. Cantrell walked back in.

“I filled my supervisor in on my decision and my reasoning and they have signed off. It is with great pleasure that I officially place Eden Quinn in your care,” she said, smiling.

I sat there in a stunned silence, immense happiness ripping through me as Dawson, Casey, and Severide wrapped Eden and I up in a group hug.

“Thank you so much,” I said, finding my voice.

“You’re very welcome. As of right now, you are Eden’s foster parent. I’ll conduct surprise visits to check in on Eden’s wellbeing and I’ll come by your apartment with an inspector in a few weeks to ensure everything is safe. Seeing as Eden is not mobile on her own yet, I do not think that an inspection is a pressing issue. Your apartment is in a safe neighborhood and I know Mr. Severide well enough to know that he is not a threat to Eden,” she said.

“I don’t even know what to say. I’m so happy,” I said.

Ms. Cantrell stood and shook everyone else’s hand before hugging me.

“You’re going to be an amazing mother,” she said.

I signed all of the paperwork and hugged Tina before she left. As soon as she was gone, Connor, Gabby, Matt, and Kelly attacked me in a giant hug.

“Careful! Don’t squish the baby,” I said, laughing.

They all let me go, but not before Severide pressed a quick kiss to my lips. Connor looked at us with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t act like you didn’t know,” I teased.

“Fair point,” he said with a smile.

“When are you going to tell everyone?” Gabby asked.

“Probably at the start of shift tomorrow. I have to break the news about Christi first,” I reminded.

Dr. Rhodes got an emergency page a moment later and rushed out after saying his final congratulations. Once he was gone, I tucked Eden back into her carseat and strapped her in securely. We all headed back out towards the parking lot, running into Will on the way.

“What’s the verdict?” he asked.

“She’s mine,” I said.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you,” he said, hugging me.

“Thanks, Will.”

Severide took my hand and we headed out to the car.

“I called Bonnie for you. She says she can watch Eden during shift starting tomorrow afternoon,” Dawson said.

“Really? That’s amazing. Thank you so much,” I said gratefully.

We all said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. Severide snapped Eden’s seat back into the base and we drove back to the apartment, stopping to get extra baby supplies on the way.

“Why are there so many different kinds of diapers?” Severide asked as we strolled through the aisles.

“There’s different sizes, brands, types, etc. We need size 2,” I said, grabbing the correct box.

Severide just looked around, clearly lost. I grabbed a few extra things before heading to checkout. Once we got home, I carried Eden and the diaper bag in while Severide took care of the things we had just bought. I changed Eden’s diaper while she slept and laid her in her crib to let her finish napping.

“I can’t believe she’s ours,” I said, looking down at the sleeping infant.

“It’s kind of insane,” Severide said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“We’re parents,” I said.

“We have a daughter,” he said.

We just stood there, staring down at our foster daughter. For some reason, I felt like she had been mine all along. Some part of me felt like I knew everything about her. Like everything was meant to be. And at the same time, another part of me felt guilty for feeling that way. This little girl’s biological mother had died less than 48 hours ago.

“We’re going to have to tell everyone about Christi’s death tomorrow,” Severide said.

“I know.”

We left the room, closing the door, and made our way downstairs. Severide sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs while I made myself a cup of tea. Once it was finished, I settled myself on Severide’s lap and took a long sip.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing right below my ear.

“I love you too.”

As we sat there, we talked about how things were going to be now that we had a baby.

“I’m going to meet Cindy for coffee after shift to talk about baby stuff. You’re more than welcome to join,” I offered, sipping my tea.

“I think I’ll skip out on the girl talk,” Severide said with a laugh.

A little while later, a cry came over the baby monitor. I stood and went to put down my tea so I could check on Eden, but Severide stopped me.

“I’ve got her,” he said, kissing me.

“I can do it,” I protested.

“I know you can. In fact I know that you’re much more capable than I am. But I like taking care of her,” he said.

I smiled and stepped aside, letting him past. I listened to the baby monitor as Severide went upstairs.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s got you all pissed off?” he asked.

I heard a soft rustle as he picked her up out of the crib and the sound of him unzipping her pajamas and changing her diaper.

“Your mom passed away yesterday. Everly and I are pretty sad about it. But we’re also really happy because you get to stay with us now. We’re going to be your foster parents and hopefully someday we’ll be able to adopt you. I really love your foster mom and I think you will too. She’s going to raise you right. I hope you grow up to be just like her.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to my man talk to our foster daughter. I knew that legally she was only considered my foster kid, but neither Severide nor I saw it that way. To us, she was ours. And I knew that there wasn’t any other man in this world that I would rather raise a baby with.


	13. Chapter 13

“Ready to go?”

“Almost. Eden just does not want to wear clothes today.”

It had been almost a month since I had officially become Eden’s foster mom. Severide and I had fallen into our roles as parents with surprising ease. The inspector and members of DCFS had been by in the past few weeks and everything had gone more smoothly than we could have ever imagined. 

“She can just wear her diaper for now. Bonnie can put clothes on her if she deems it necessary,” I said, wrapping my arms around my man.

Severide nodded and leaned slightly so his back was pressed against my front. We stood like this for a moment before Eden screaming angrily and kicking off the socks that Severide had managed to wrestle onto her broke the silence.

“She’s already latched on to your stubbornness,” I joked, laughing.

“Alright, you lovebirds. Give me that baby. You’re going to be late for work,” Bonnie said, coming into the room.

Kelly and I both showered the infant in kisses before handing her off to the most amazing nanny we could have ever asked for.

“Thank you!” I called out to Bonnie as Severide and I rushed out the door.

We got to 51 at the same time as Otis and Cruz.

“Good morning,” I said, greeting them both.

“Good morning. How’s Eden doing?” Cruz asked.

“She’s doing really well. She almost rolled over yesterday,” Severide said proudly.

“Being a dad has done a number on you,” Casey joked as we walked into the locker room.

“What’s that mean?” Severide asked, unlocking his locker.

“You used to come in here bragging about the women you had slept with the night before. Now you come in here bragging about Eden sleeping through the night,” Casey said.

“First of all, I did not brag about women. Second of all, shut up,” Severide said, punching Casey in the bicep.

Dawson and I laughed, following our men out of the locker room. We had all just sat down to eat breakfast when the bells went off.

Truck 81. Squad 3. Ambulance 61. Structure fire.

We all stood up and ran out to the apparatus floor. While everyone else slid into their turnout gear, Dawson and I hopped into the ambo.

“So how are you liking being a parent?” Dawson asked.

“It’s amazing. Severide and I have never been happier. Eden is the most amazing thing that could have happened to us. Ms. Cantrell mentioned that we’ll be able to adopt Eden soon if we want,” I said.

“Do you want to?”

“More than anything. She’s already a part of our family. I feel like a terrible person for saying this, but sometimes I forget she’s not actually my daughter,” I admitted.

“She is your daughter. No, you didn’t give birth to her. Yes, the circumstances under which she became yours weren’t ideal. But she’s your daughter now. You shouldn’t feel like a bad person. As long as you make sure she grows up knowing that her biological mother loved her more than anything, then you’re doing fine,” Dawson said, shooting me an encouraging smile.

I smiled back at her as we pulled up to the scene. We jumped out and took in the scene in front of us. There was a woman on the roof, holding a baby, flames creeping closer and closer to her. A man was on the sidewalk, covered in black soot. He was yelling up at the woman on the roof.

Truck and Squad pulled up moments later and sprung into action.

“Otis, raise the aerial. Herrmann and Kidd, primary search of the bottom floor,” Casey yelled.

While Casey and the rest of Truck 81 sprang into action, Severide shouted orders to the members of Squad 3.

“Hurry! It’s getting too hot up here!” the woman on the roof screamed. 

“What happened?” I asked the man on the sidewalk, directing him towards the ambulance.

“I don’t know. We woke up and the house was on fire,” he said, clearly shaken up.

“That’s a nasty burn you’ve got there. Let’s get you patched up,” Dawson said, pointing to a large burn on the man’s right arm.

“It’s too hot up here! I’m going to throw the baby down to you!” the woman on the roof shouted, holding the baby over the edge of the building.

“NO!” Casey yelled, running towards the building.

The woman dropped the baby with a shriek. Casey’s eyes followed the baby, catching the infant as softly as possible as he fell to the ground. I dropped the roll of bandages that I was about to hand to Dawson and sprinted towards Casey and the baby. I took the blanket-wrapped infant from Casey and sighed in relief when I saw that the baby boy was okay.

“He’s okay!” I yelled.

Kidd reached the woman and helped her onto the aerial. While she started climbing down, I took the baby over to the ambulance. The man jumped to his feet and held his arms out for the baby.

“You get bandaged up. I’m going to make sure he’s okay,” I said.

I checked the baby over, making sure he was as really as fine as he seemed. By the time the mother had both feet on the ground, I had determined that the infant was the luckiest little dude in the world.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do,” the woman sobbed, running over to the ambulance.

“He’s okay,” I said, carefully handing the baby over to his mother.

Dawson and I got the woman onto the gurney and treated the burns on her legs and feet before loading the family up and heading to Chicago Med. When we got there, I filled out the paperwork while Dawson restocked the ambulance.

“Hey, you. How’s the kiddo?” Will asked, sitting down at one of the computers at the nurse’s station.

“Hey, Will. She’s doing great. She almost rolled over yesterday.”

“That’s awesome. You should bring her by sometime for a check-up,” he said.

“I’ll call you to set one up,” I said.

He nodded and gave me a quick hand squeeze before racing off to help a patient. Dawson came back a few minutes later and I handed Maggie a copy of the paperwork before we headed back to the ambulance.

“How did you get so close with Will?” Dawson asked.

“Actually, I was close to Jay first. Jay and I met through Lindsay. Lindsay and I met through Burgess. And I met Burgess through Ruzek. Ruzek dated one of my old friends.”

“That’s way too complicated,” Gabby said with a laugh.

“I’m lucky to be close to all of them. They’re all incredible people,” I said.

Gabby nodded. We pulled up to Firehouse 51 and Dawson parked the ambulance.

“How’s the baby?” Casey asked.

“He’s perfectly fine. Both parents are doing well too,” I said.

“Good catch, Case,” Severide said, clapping Casey on the shoulder.

I smiled at Casey before heading into the common room. Mouch was already in his beloved spot on the sofa, so I sat on the other end, swiping a handful of his popcorn. He opened his mouth to complain, but shut it when I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Everly, can I talk to you for a minute?” Dawson asked, coming into the room.

“Sure,” I said.

I stood up and followed Gabby to the laundry room. When we got there, I hopped up on the dryer, swinging my legs.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I need some advice,” she said.

“Okay. Is everything okay?” I asked, slightly concerned.

“Everything’s fine. It’s just that there’s something that I’ve been thinking about but I don’t know how to go about telling Matt about it,” she said, pacing back and forth.

“Gabby, what is going on?” I asked.

“I want to have a baby,” she blurted.

She stopped pacing, looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I jumped off the dryer and pulled her into a hug.

“Gabby, that’s amazing,” I said.

“I think I’m finally ready. Seeing you and Severide with Eden gave me serious baby fever but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to try again. The more I think about it though, the more I want this,” she said.

“I’m so happy for you. Just give me fair warning so I can try and get a good replacement partner when you get knocked up,” I said.

“You’ll be the first to know. I mean, after Matt of course,” she said with a laugh.

We talked for a little bit longer before my cellphone started ringing.

“It’s Bonnie,” I said, looking at the caller ID.

“Deep breaths. She might just have a question,” Dawson said.

I slid my thumb across the screen and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Bonnie. What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry to bother you at work, but Eden has a cough and her nose is runny.”

“Okay. Does she have a fever?” I asked, putting my phone on speaker so that Gabby could hear what was going on.

“I haven’t checked. I don’t know where the thermometer is,” Bonnie said.

“It’s in the bathroom cabinet up in the bathroom next to Eden’s room.”

I heard Bonnie’s footsteps and breathing as she went in search of the thermometer.

“I found it, but I’ve never used a thermometer like this before,” she said.

“It’s okay. It’s a temporal artery thermometer, so all you have to do is run it across her forehead. Start in the middle of her forehead and press it down. Then run it from there to her temple, pressing down gently the whole time,” I instructed.

There was quiet of the other end of the line for a few moments while Bonnie did what I instructed.

“It says 100.1,” Bonnie said.

I immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Technically she doesn’t have a fever then. Anything below 100.4 isn’t a fever in babies. Please check her temperature every hour and call me if it gets any higher,” I said.

“I can do that. Is there anything else I need to watch out for?” Bonnie asked.

“Just make sure she’s drinking plenty of formula and call me immediately if it seems like it’s getting hard for her to breathe,” I instructed.

“Okay. I’ll call you back with an update in a few hours.”

“Thank you so much, Bonnie. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any more questions or if you need Kelly or I to come get her,” I said.

I said goodbye to Bonnie and hung up. Dawson looked at me, a soft smile playing across her lips.

“What?” I asked, shoving my phone into my pocket.

“You are such a mom,” she said.

“Thank you?”

“It’s a good thing. It was good to see how worried you were about Eden’s wellbeing.”

Severide came over a few minutes later and I filled him in on Eden.

“Do we need to take her to a doctor?” he asked, clearly worried.

“Not yet. Bonnie is going to keep an eye on her and let me know if her temperature raises enough to constitute a fever. Everything is going to be fine, babe,” I said, kissing his cheek.

He leaned into my kiss for a moment before the alarm bells went off.

Ambulance 61. Person down from unknown causes.

Severide kissed me swiftly before Dawson and I ran out to the ambo. I pulled up the address while Dawson pulled out onto the street.

“We’re going to the university dorms,” I said.

“It better not be drunk frat boys,” Dawson said.

We pulled up to the building, grabbed our supplies, and met a very worried looking student in the lobby.

“It’s my girlfriend’s roommate. She’s upstairs,” he said, directing us towards the elevators.

“What’s your name? What happened?” I asked as he pressed the button for the ninth floor.

“My name is Aaron. I don’t really know what happened. My girlfriend, Macy, got a text from her roommate, Emmy, saying that she had really bad stomach pains. Emmy came back a few minutes later and just collapsed.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We followed Aaron down the hallway and into one of the rooms. When we walked in, we found Emmy lying on the floor with Macy kneeling next to her, looking panicked.

“I’m Gabby and this is Grace. Can you tell us what happened?”

“We were all just hanging out when Emmy said she felt nauseous. She went to go throw up, but I got a text after a little while saying she thought she might need to go to the hospital. I asked why and she said she was having really bad abdominal pain. She said it was some of the worst pain she’d ever felt. I texted back and asked if I needed to call an ambulance. She didn’t respond, but she came back a minute later and just collapsed,” Macy said.

“Her pulse is weak,” I said, my fingers pressed against Emmy’s neck.

“Has she taken any drugs or drank any alcohol?” Dawson asked.

“No, not at all. She’s never done any kind of drugs and she doesn’t drink,” Macy said.

“Is there any possibility that she might be pregnant?” I asked.

“No,” Macy said.

“Breathing is shallow,” I said, pressing my stethoscope to the girl’s chest.

“I’ll get an IV started. Get her on oxygen,” Dawson directed.

I passed Gabby the IV kit before getting the oxygen tank and mask. Dawson missed on the first IV attempt and went in for another on the girl’s other arm.

“Her veins keep rolling,” Dawson said as she missed for a second time.

Usually Gabby was able to get the IV in on the first try, so I knew Emmy had difficult veins. I held my hand out and Dawson passed me the IV kit. I was just about to jab her when she started seizing.

“Oh my gosh!” Macy cried.

“We’re going to have to drill!” Gabby said.

I passed her the IO kit and told Macy and Aaron to look away. Dawson drilled and I passed her a syringe of Ativan. Once it was pushed through the IO, we stepped back for a moment and let the seizing subside.

“We need to intubate. She’s barely breathing,” I said.

“No, don’t intubate yet. Just bag her for now. We need to get moving,” Dawson said.

I did as she requested while she ran back to the ambulance to get the gurney. Once Emmy was on the gurney, Dawson made Aaron and Macy help carry our supplies back downstairs. Gabby drove quickly while I kept forcing air into Emmy’s lungs. All of the sudden, the heart monitor went crazy.

“She’s in v-fib!” I yelled.

I started compressions while Gabby maneuvered through traffic.

“We’re 2 minutes out!” Dawson yelled.

“I’m going to shock her,” I said, grabbing the defibrillator.

“Almost there!” Dawson said.

“Shocking!” I said.

I pressed the button, shocking Emmy’s heart back into rhythm.

“We’ve got sinus rhythm!” I yelled.

The doors of the ambulance opened and Maggie was there. April helped me unload the gurney while Dawson gave the rundown. We took Emmy into one of the Trauma rooms and handed her care over to Dr. Halstead.

“How are you and Severide doing with Eden?” Dr. Charles asked as I was filling out paperwork.

“We’re all doing really well. Our babysitter called a little while ago though and said that Eden is coming down with something. She’s got a cough and runny nose,” I said.

“That’s unfortunate. I hope she gets better soon,” he said with a smile.

He left to go do rounds and Dawson and I said goodbye to the nurses before heading back to 51. When we got there, I was surprised to see Severide sitting at the Squad table, holding Eden.

“Why is Eden here?” I asked, walking over.

“Bonnie came by a little bit after you left. She had a family emergency that she had to go take care of. She said she won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“Does Boden know she’s here?” I asked, taking the infant and snuggling her.

“Yes. He’s okay with it,” Severide said.

“Good. I’m going to go check her temperature,” I said, heading back towards the ambo.

Dawson handed me the thermometer and I ran it across the baby’s forehead.

“100.5. She’s officially got a fever,” I said.

“Give her a cool bath and let her chill in just her diaper for a little bit,” Gabby suggested.

I did what Dawson had suggested, but Eden’s fever wasn’t coming down. Eventually, she fell asleep and I tucked her into the pack and play that we had set up again in Severide’s quarters.

“She’s going to be fine,” Severide said, rubbing my shoulders as I stood over the baby’s sleeping form.

“I know. I just worry.”

We stood there for a little while, just watching our daughter sleep. I was about to suggest that we leave when Eden coughed, waking herself up. She immediately started crying and Severide and I looked at each other.

“We’re in for a long night,” he said.

All I could do was nod in agreement as I picked up our screaming daughter.


	14. Chapter 14

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I whispered, stroking Eden’s hair.

The poor infant was screaming, her little body covered in a sheen of sweat. I had taken her outside into the cool night air in an attempt to cool her down and to avoid waking anyone else up. Eden coughed, her tiny face turning red as she hacked.

“Shhhh,” I said, rocking her back and forth as I patted her back.

Once she had finished coughing, I went to wipe away her tears but noticed there weren’t any.

“You need fluids, jellybean,” I said, frowning.

Gabby came out a few moments later, wrapped up in one of Casey’s sweatshirts.

“How’s she doing?” she asked, walking over.

“Not so great. Her fever is up to 101.9 and she’s dehydrated but I can’t get her drink. I’m getting really worried, Gabby,” I said.

I turned to head to the ambo to get a suction bulb for the snot in Eden’s nose but stopped when I heard her breathing.

“Gabby, she’s wheezing. And look at her nostrils. They flare every time she takes a breath.”

“Call Will,” she said, taking Eden from me.

“It’s 3 am. He’s probably asleep,” I said.

“Grace, he’s always telling you to call if you need him. You need him. So call him.”

I pulled my phone out at dialed Will’s number. It rang until it went to voicemail. I tried again.

“Hello?” he answered groggily.

“I’m sorry to wake you up but I’m worried about Eden,” I said.

“Hey, it’s okay. What’s going on?” he asked, slightly more alert when he heard the panic in my voice.

“She had a little cough before I started shift yesterday but now it’s turned into a full blown hacking cough with a runny nose and a fever of 101.9 as of 20 minutes ago. Now she’s wheezing and her nostrils flare every time she tries to take a breath.”

“It sounds like her cold is turning into something more. Can you get to Med?” he asked.

“I’ll have to check with Chief Boden and get back to you. I don’t know if I can get time off to bring her to Med,” I said.

Dawson looked at me and shook her head. She signaled that she would check with Boden.

“Dawson is going to go check. Will, how worried should I be?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you that until I see Eden. Just breathe,” he said.

Dawson came back a minute later with Chief Boden.

“I’ll call headquarters and request a relief paramedic for you and I’ll fill in for Severide. Take Eden and Kelly and get to Med,” Boden directed.

“Thank you. Will, I’m on my way.”

I hung up and thanked Boden again before taking Eden from Gabby and heading back to Severide’s quarters. He woke up as I came into the room. He sat up immediately when he saw the worry on my face.

“What’s going on?” he asked, getting out of bed.

“We need to take Eden to Med. She’s getting worse so I called Will and he’s going to meet us there,” I said, shoving things into the baby bag with my free hand.

Severide got dressed and finished packing the bag while I strapped Eden into her carseat. I offered her a bottle, but she only drank for a minute before spitting it out.

“Let’s go,” Severide said.

Casey met us in the common room, worry etched in his face.

“Call if you need anything from us. We’ll swing by Med after shift if you’re still there,” he said, clapping Severide on the shoulder and hugging me.

Dawson walked out to my car with us and gave Severide and I both tight hugs before heading back inside to her husband. Severide sat in the backseat with Eden while I drove. I almost wished I had asked Boden if we could take the ambulance just so we could get there faster, but I knew the few extra minutes it would take us in the car wouldn’t make a difference.

“Will is going to meet us at the Nurse’s Station,” I said as we pulled into the parking lot.

I unsnapped Eden’s carseat from the base and carried her through the sliding double doors. The ER waiting room was filled with drunk people and Severide pulled me close to his side as we walked past them. Will was standing at the Nurse’s Station, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Dr. Manning.

“Hey. I asked Nat to come in to help out. Is that okay?” Will asked when he saw us.

“Of course. It’s good to see you,” I said, smiling at Natalie.

We headed into one of the rooms and I set the carseat on the bed and unstrapped Eden. Once she was out, I put the carseat on the floor and sat on the bed in its place. Eden was still wheezing and I cringed when she started coughing.

“Let’s see what’s going on with you, kiddo,” Natalie said, listening to Eden’s heart and lungs.

I gripped Severide’s hand tightly while Natalie and Will worked on Eden. Eden started coughing again, causing her to cry. I watched as her tiny little lips started turning blue as she struggled to breathe.

“We’ve got to keep her calm. Crying makes her breathe harder and she can’t get enough oxygen,” Natalie said, picking up Eden.

I held my arms out for my baby. Dr. Manning handed her to me and I rocked her back and forth, bouncing gently. Will slipped a tiny oxygen mask over her nose and mouth to help her breathe as she slowly calmed down. When she was done crying, she fell asleep, exhausted.

“It’s looking like she’s got bronchiolitis,” Natalie said.

“Is that like bronchitis?” Severide asked.

“It’s similar. It’s a respiratory infection, just in a different part of the lung,” Will explained.

“So what’s the treatment?” I asked.

“We’ll need to admit her for a few days. She needs to stay on oxygen and we’ll start her on IV fluids as well as some medications to help with her breathing,” Dr. Manning said.

“How serious is this?” Severide asked.

“We’ll know more once we get treatment started. The most common complication is having to put the patient on a ventilator until the infection clears, but that’s rare. Eden should be fine,” Will said.

 

“So the ventilator is the worst case scenario?” I asked.

“Essentially,” Natalie said.

“Good to know,” I said, feeling slightly reassured.

Will and Natalie stepped out to get started on admitting Eden while Severide called Chief Boden to give him the update. I picked Eden up off the bed and cuddled her to my chest. She looked up at me, tears welling up in her green eyes. My heart shattered at the look of pure sadness on her face.

“Are you okay?” Severide asked, coming back into the room.

“She looks so sad. I feel so bad for her. She can’t tell us how she feels or what she wants or needs,” I said.

Severide wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. We stood like that, looking down at our daughter, until Will came back. He handed me a stack of papers to sign and left again to go get one of the little rolling cribs for Eden. By the time I was finished reading and signing the admission papers, the Pediatric Unit was ready for Eden.

“Thank you for coming in on such short notice,” I said as we waited for the elevator.

“Of course. I told you, I’m here to help,” Will said, smiling at me.

When we got up to the room, Will and a few nurses got Eden hooked up to a heart monitor and wrapped a pulse-ox around her toe before adjusting her oxygen mask.

“We’re going to have to put an IV in her hand. Do you want to hold her while we do it?” Natalie asked, coming into the room.

I nodded and picked up the baby, being careful not to get the wires twisted. Eden stayed still when Natalie inserted the IV, but my heart still hurt. Natalie taped the IV in place, making sure it was secure.

“All finished. You were so good,” she said, gently tickling Eden’s belly.

Will got Eden hooked up to a bag of saline before turning to Severide and I.

“You’re more than welcome to hold her, but make sure that nothing gets twisted or bent. Be very careful and press the call button if you need anything.”

“Thanks again, Will,” I said, hugging him.

“Anytime. I’ll come check on her in a few hours,” he said.

He stripped off his rubber gloves and tossed them in a nearby wastebasket before leaving, sliding the glass door closed behind him. The room was silent except for the soft sounds of Eden wheezing. I sat in one of the chairs, relaxing for the first time in hours.

“Do you need anything?” Severide asked, sitting in the other chair.

I shook my head and scooted my chair closer to his so that I could lay my head on his shoulder. My eyes began to grow heavy as we sat there.

“I’m going to go get some coffee. Do you want any?” I asked, looking over at Kelly.

“Yes, please,” he replied, standing to go look at Eden.

I grabbed my wallet and headed down to the cafeteria, rubbing my eyes.

“You look like hell. What’s going on?” Dr. Rhodes asked, turning the corner and spotting me.

“Eden just got admitted with bronchiolitis. I’ve been up with her since midnight,” I said.

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

“We’ll be okay. Will and Natalie are on top of it. Besides, I know you’re incredibly busy,” I said.

“At least let me get you a coffee,” he insisted.

I agreed and we headed to the doctor’s lounge. When we got there, Dr. Choi was sitting at the computer, scrolling through a chart. He looked up when we came in and shot me a smile.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, turning in the chair so he was facing me.

“Eden is upstairs. Severide and I brought her in with bronchiolitis,” I said.

“Oh man. That’s unfortunate. Let me know if you need anything,” he said.

I thanked him and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that Connor held out to me. I watched as he poured another cup and secured the lid.

“For Severide,” he said, handing the second cup to me.

“Thank you so much,” I said.

“Anytime. Do you want to hang out here for awhile or do you want to go back upstairs?” Dr. Rhodes asked.

“I need some fresh air for a minute,” I said.

He nodded and led me out of the doctor’s lounge. We walked through the ER waiting room and headed outside. The early morning air felt good on my skin. The sun was barely up, the buildings blocking its rays. We stood there in silence, Connor just letting me have time to breathe. After a few minutes I looked over at him and decided it was time to go back to my daughter.

“Ready?” he asked.

I smiled softly and nodded. Just as we turned to leave, we heard the sound of tires screeching on pavement. Across the street, a black car slid to a stop, pausing for a second, before peeling away. Both Connor and I immediately took off running when we saw a bloody figure slumped against the curb.

The coffee cups I had been holding dropped from my hands as I ran. Connor and I arrived at the victim at the same time. Connor tossed me a pair of gloves and we both yanked them on before getting to work.

“I have an entry wound, but no exit,” I said, finding a bullet hole in the man’s thigh.

“He has multiple stab wounds too,” Connor said, putting pressure on one the wounds that was bleeding heavily.

Clarke came sprinting over with a jump bag and we immediately got to work. I grabbed Clarke’s stethoscope and listened to the man’s lungs.

“Tension pneumothorax,” I said.

“We need to decompress. Clarke, go for it,” Connor said.

I moved aside and put pressure on another one of the stab wounds while Clarke shoved a needle into the guy’s chest, releasing the air that had been crushing the left lung.

“We need to move him,” I said as the trauma team came running over with a gurney.

Once the man was transferred onto the gurney and secure, we all ran back into the ER. I stepped aside as the team of doctors and nurses got to work on the unconscious man. Connor and I made eye contact for a second and I smiled before turning and heading out of the ER.

On my way back up to Eden’s room, I grabbed two fresh cups of coffee. When I got upstairs, Severide was asleep in the chair next to Eden’s little plastic crib. I set the coffees down on the table and went over to Eden. She was sleeping, her oxygen mask slightly askew. I fixed it just as Natalie came into the room.

“Hey,” she said quietly, sanitizing her hands.

“Hi,” I said.

“How’s she doing?” she asked.

“I just got back, but she seems to be doing okay. I was helping Dr. Rhodes in the ER for a little bit,” I explained.

“He mentioned that. It sounds like you really helped save that man. He’s in emergency surgery now,” she said, listening to Eden’s lungs.

“I hope he makes it,” I said.

Natalie finished listening to Eden’s lungs and reached over to turn up the flow of oxygen. I frowned at her actions, concerned.

“Relax. It’s just a precaution,” Dr. Manning said, shoot me an encouraging smile.

I smiled tensely back before turning to look at Severide. He stirred in his sleep, but didn’t wake. He needed sleep. He had been awake almost as long as me.

“Either Will or I will be back to check on her in a few hours. Don’t be afraid to press the call button if something seems off or if you need anything,” she said.

I thanked her and watched her leave before turning back to my daughter. Despite Natalie checking her, Eden still slept. Her little wheezes were muffled by the mask, but were definitely still there. Eventually, I sat in the chair next to Severide. I let my head fall back against the headrest and my eyes started to close, the events of the day finally hitting me.

“Hey, baby,” Severide said, waking up.

“Hey,” I said, not opening my eyes.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked, rubbing my thigh.

I shook my head, slowly opening my eyes. I pointed to the coffee that was sitting on the table and Severide took his, taking a long sip. He stood and went to look at our daughter, resting his hand on her tiny body. He sighed and kissed her forehead before pulling his chair closer to her and sitting. I tried to stay awake to watch my man interact with our daughter, but my eyelids grew too heavy and I finally gave up, letting sleep drag me down.

I was woken up only a little while later by the sound of voices. I heard Severide and someone else talking in hushed whispers. I opened my eyes and saw Kelly, Will, and Natalie all talking just outside the doorway. Severide looked up and noticed I was awake.

“What’s going on?” I asked, standing up and going to check on Eden.

I noticed that her tiny little fingers and lips had a blue tint to them. She wasn’t getting enough oxygen, even with the mask.

“You have to intubate her,” I stated, knowing that was what they had been talking about.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Dr. Manning said, her eyes sad.

“What else is wrong?” I asked, my heart racing.

“When I was listening to Eden’s lungs a few minutes ago, there were crackles. I’m going to order a chest x-ray and see what’s going on,” Will said.

Eden started coughing, hard. Natalie picked her up and positioned her upright to help her breathe. Once the coughing fit had passed, radiology arrived with a portable x-ray machine. Severide, Will, and I stepped out while they did the x-ray. When we came back in, the film was up on the computer screen.

“There’s fluid in her lungs. She’s developed pneumonia.”


	15. Chapter 15

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“We aren’t going to intubate her. We’re going to turn up the oxygen flow, suction out her nose every 30 minutes, and get her started on antibiotics,” Natalie said.

“What happens if those things don’t work?” Severide asked.

“We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it,” Natalie said.

Will squeezed my shoulder gently before leaving the room, Natalie following close behind. A nurse came in a few minutes later with a bag of IV antibiotics and a bulb syringe. She offered to teach Severide and I how to do it so that we wouldn’t have to be interrupted as often.

“We both know how to use a bulb syringe. I’m a paramedic,” I explained.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” the nurse said, blushing.

“No, you’re fine. I’m not offended,” I said, shooting her a small smile.

The nurse finished sucking the build-up of mucus out of Eden’s nose and set the blue bulb down in the corner of the crib. She did a final check of Eden’s vitals and the oxygen mask before showing me how to hold Eden to help her breathe. As I stood there, cradling my daughter, Tina Cantrell walked into the room.

“Ms. Cantrell. I wasn’t expecting you,” I said, immediately clutching Eden tighter.

“Relax, Miss Everly. I’m not here to take Eden away from you. I heard what was happening and I figured you could use a bit of good news,” she said.

I immediately felt the tension leave my body as Tina reached into her bag. She pulled out a large manila envelope and handed it to Severide. He opened it and pulled out a large stack of papers.

“They’re adoption papers. For Eden,” he said, his eyes wide.

“I spoke with some people and they think that Eden would be in good hands with you two. However, there is a bit of a complication. As of right now, you two are not engaged or married. As you know from Mr. and Mrs. Casey, there are many difficulties with co-adoption when the parents are not together,” Tina said.

“Kelly and I are together. We just aren’t engaged or married yet,” I said.

“I understand that. But dating holds minimal weight in court. This is not me trying to force you two together, it is simply me explaining what complications could arise should you decide to move forward with this process.”

“We would love to move forward in the process, but Kelly and I have only been officially dating for less than four months,” I said.

“We’ll figure it out. We don’t have to decide everything right now,” Severide said, sliding the papers back into the envelope.

Tina nodded and gave us one last smile before leaving. I looked down at the infant in my arms as she started coughing. Readjusting her so that she could breathe more easily, I looked over at Severide.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you too,” he said.

He walked over and kissed me sweetly. I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort at the feeling of Severide’s lips on mine. There was an unbelievable amount of relief in knowing that even at a time like this, the man in front of me would always be able to piece me back together.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to check on Eden,” Dr. Manning said, sliding the door open.

Severide and I broke apart and Natalie took Eden from me. Kelly hand rested lightly on my waist as we watched her take Eden’s vitals.

“It’s too early to tell if the antibiotics are working, but we should start to see some improvement in the next few hours,” Dr. Manning said, draping her stethoscope around her neck.

Severide and I thanked her and she gently squeezed my shoulder before leaving.

“You should go home and get some sleep,” Severide said, softly running his fingers through my hair.

“I don’t want to just leave her,” I protested.

“I’ll stay here. I’m sure Dawson or someone would come over and help if you had any nightmares,” he said.

“I’ll call Gabby. Are you sure?” I asked.

“Absolutely. You look like you’re going to collapse from exhaustion.”

I pulled out my phone and called Dawson, but she didn’t answer. I tired Erin and sighed in relief when she picked up.

“Hey, Erin. I’m heading home to shower and get some sleep and I was wondering if you or Jay or Kim or Adam or someone could come over and keep me company?”

“Jay, Ruzek, and I are about to follow a lead, but Burgess is free,” Erin offered.

“Could you tell her that I’ll meet her at my apartment?” I asked.

“Of course. How’s Eden?” she asked.

“She’s okay. The antibiotics haven’t had time to take effect yet, so we’re just waiting right now,” I said.

“Everyone here is keeping her in our thoughts. Let me know if you need anything else,” Erin said.

I thanked her and hung up. I looked over at Severide and smiled when I saw him snuggling our daughter.

“I’m going to head out. Burgess is going to meet me at the apartment. Call me as soon as there’s any change?”

“Of course,” he said, kissing me.

“I love you both,” I said, kissing Eden’s forehead.

“We love you too,” Severide responded.

It was weird driving home without a baby in the backseat or my man next to me. When I got home, Burgess was standing by the door, looking at something on her phone. She smiled when she saw me and pulled me into a warm hug.

“I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” she said, still hugging me.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. The events of the past 24 hours hit me like a speeding train and I felt Burgess pulling me into the apartment. She helped me to the couch as I tried to hold back my emotions.

“Let it out,” Burgess said, looking at me.

With that, the floodgates opened and sobs tore through my body. Watching Eden struggle to breathe, her diagnosis, feeling her lay limply in my arms because she was too tired from trying to breathe to do anything but lay there hurt my heart more than anything. I just wanted her to be okay again.

“It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine,” Burgess said, rubbing my back.

Hot tears streamed down my face, taking any remaining makeup that I had on my face with them. Kim just sat with me, letting me cry. Eventually, the tears stopped and I took a deep breath.

“Sorry about that,” I said sheepishly.

“Grace, you deserve a good cry especially with everything that’s happening right now,” Kim said, smiling.

While Kim made tea, I went upstairs and finally changed out of my uniform and into a pair of black leggings and a loose grey sweater. By the time I was done changing and washing the trails of makeup off my face, Burgess came upstairs with two steaming mugs.

“I could only find earl grey. I hope that’s okay,” she said, handing me one of the mugs and sitting next to me on the bed.

“That’s fine. Thank you so much,” I said.

We sat there, drinking tea and talking. She told me about how her and Adam got back together and were happier than ever. Their broken engagement had caused some tension up in Intelligence, but it sounded like things were definitely looking up for them. In return, I told her more about Severide and I.

“I love him so much. I would marry that man in a heartbeat,” I admitted.

“I overheard him talking to Adam when we were at Christi’s house. He said that he loves you and he really does want to spend the rest of his life with you. I think he’s just worried about rushing into things,” Burgess said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of too. I don’t want us to get married and then realize that we only did it to make adopting Eden more of a possibility,” I said.

“Grace, I know that I am about as far away as you can get from a relationship expert, but I do know that Kelly loves you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and that’s the exact same way that Casey looks at Dawson and Adam looks at me. You’ve known each other for years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Severide happier than when he’s around you.”

“The love I feel for Severide is so different from the love I felt for Andrew. With Andrew, I never felt fully secure in our relationship, so I think our love reflected that. What Severide and I have is passionate and raw. It’s the kind of love that you read about in fairytales. But I think that’s what scares me about it. Maybe it’s too good to be true.”

“You and Severide have fought before. The two have you have an incredibly strong friendship that you’re building on. I firmly believe that you two will be able to make it,” Burgess said, smiling.

“Thank you,” I said, hugging her.

“Of course. Go get some sleep. I’ll be right here if you need me,” she said.

I re-heated my cup of tea and took it upstairs with me, settling into the queen-sized bed. I closed my eyes and lay there for a while before deciding that I should call Severide.

“Hey, baby,” he said.

“Hi. How’s everything going?” I asked.

“No change just yet. Dr. Halstead said to give it another hour. She’s sleeping right now.”

“Call me when there’s a change?”

“I will. Now get some sleep,” he said.

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too. Sweet dreams.”

I hung up and set my phone on the bedside table. I fell asleep quickly afterwards, but tossed and turned. Eventually, I woke up and went back downstairs. When I got there, Kim was asleep on the couch. I draped a soft blue blanket over her and walked quietly to the kitchen. I made myself a cup of coffee and slipped onto one of the bar stools. I watched the curls of steam rise from the mug of dark liquid.

By the time the drink was cool enough to sip, Burgess was waking up.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she said, folding the blanket.

“Don’t worry about it. Erin mentioned that the case you all have been working is a long one. Do you want some coffee?” I asked.

She nodded and I stood to make her a cup. While it was brewing, I swiped some mascara on my lashes and used concealer on the dark circles under my eyes. I changed out of the oversized sweatshirt I had tossed on and pulled on a flowing blush pink blouse and a pair of nude flats. I did a once-over in the mirror and deemed my black leggings not good enough to wear out of the house, so I located a pair of dark-wash jeans. When I got back downstairs, Kim was adding creamer to her coffee and stirring it absentmindedly.

“I’m going to head back to the hospital in a little bit. Do you need a ride back to the district?” I asked, locating a cream-colored cardigan and pulling it on.

“No, I drove here. Do you have a travel mug I could borrow?” she asked.

I pointed to one of the kitchen cabinets while I searched for my purse.

“There’s a stack of disposable coffee cups in there. You’re welcome to one of those or one of the reusable ones,” I said.

“I’ll just take one of the paper ones,” she said, pulling one down.

I finally found my purse by the door and tossed the strap over my shoulder before heading back to the kitchen.

“I’m going to grab a few things for Eden,” I said, heading back upstairs.

“I’ll meet you downstairs!” Kim called after me.

I made my way to Eden’s nursery and paused for a moment when I walked into the room. It was weird, not having Eden at home. I grabbed her favorite stuffed elephant and an exceptionally soft baby blanket. I stuffed the items in my purse and located a pacifier and a change of clothes for Severide and I before running back downstairs.

Kim was standing by her car when I got outside. She pulled me into a tight hug and made me promise to update Intelligence as soon as there was a change. I watched as she drove away before I climbed into my car and headed back towards the hospital. On the way, I picked up large cups of Severide’s and my favorite coffee and tucked them safely in the cup holders.

“Hey, baby,” Severide said as I walked into the room.

He pulled me into a hug as I handed him the coffee. I inhaled the faint scent of his cologne, letting a sense of calm wash over me. I pulled away after a moment and pulled Eden’s things out of my bag. I gently covered her with the blanket and settled her stuffed elephant next to her in the crib. Once everything was to my satisfaction, I turned to Severide.

“It’s your turn to go home and get some sleep. Go take a shower, sleep, get changed. Do whatever you need,” I said.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? Do you want me to call someone?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. If I need someone, I’ll call Dawson or Casey,” I said.

He nodded, satisfied. I pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss. His warm hand gripped my hip gently before letting me go. Once he was gone, I settled into the chair that he had been sitting in earlier. I watched Eden through the clear sides of the crib. She was sleeping, but she kept waking up every time she couldn’t breathe fully.

“How’s she holding up?” Will asked, stepping into the room.

“I just got back, but she seems to be doing a little bit better. Her wheezing isn’t as bad,” I said.

“It looks like the antibiotics are starting to work,” he said, listening to the infant’s lungs.

I sighed in relief as Will gently stroked Eden’s fingers.

“She’s pretty cute,” he said, smiling down at the baby.

“Yeah, I got pretty lucky,” I said with a grin.

Will’s pager went off and he sighed when he looked at it.

“Incoming trauma. Let me know if you need anything,” he said, pulling on a fresh pair of purple gloves.

“Will do. Go save a life,” I teased.

Will jogged out of the room and headed back to the ER while I scooped Eden out of the crib and sat down in the chair, settling her in my lap. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment, my motions disturbing her sleep. I kissed her forehead softly and watched as her eyes closed again, sleep taking over once again.

I wrapped her in the blanket I had brought, making sure not to tangle the tubes and wires that were attached to her. My fingers softly brushed a stray eyelash from her cheek. Her tiny mouth opened in a yawn as she shifted in my arms. Once she was settled again, I leaned my head back against the chair and took a long sip of my coffee. I wasn’t tired, but the familiar liquid helped calm my frazzled nerves.

A little while later there was a soft knock on the door and Dawson and Casey entered carrying a gift bag. I stood and settled Eden back in the crib before hugging them both.

“How’s the squish?” Casey asked, peering into the crib.

“She’s getting a little better. The antibiotics are just now starting to work, so we’re hoping to see some improvement in the near future,” I explained.

“That’s good to hear,” Dawson said.

“We brought something for her,” Casey said, handing me the gift bag.

I pulled out the tissue paper and set it aside before reaching in and pulling out a teddy bear dressed as a firefighter. Tears welled up in my eyes when I saw that the jacket the bear was wearing was covered in little handwritten notes from everyone at the firehouse, all wishing for Eden to make a full recovery.

“This is so sweet of everyone. Thank you,” I said, pulling both Casey and Dawson into a hug.

“Everyone is waiting in the lobby. We all came as soon as we got off shift this morning, but Dr. Manning said that we should wait to come back and visit because Eden had taken a turn for the worse,” Dawson explained.

“Could you guys stay here with her so I can go see everyone?” I asked.

“Actually, why don’t you take her for a quick walk?” Natalie asked, coming into the room.

“Can I really take her out of this room?” I asked.

“Absolutely. Just make sure everyone uses hand sanitizer before they touch her,” she said.

She held out a bottle of hand sanitizer and I took it, settling it in the corner of the crib. Dr. Manning took charge of the IV stand while I pushed the crib. We slowly made our way to the room where everyone was waiting. The sight of all of them was almost enough to make me cry. Eden stirred a little in her sleep as everyone hugged me and looked down at her.

“How is she doing?” Herrmann asked.

“The antibiotics are starting to work, so she’s slowly improving,” I said, passing around the hand sanitizer.

While everyone fawned over Eden, I called Severide.

“Hey, babe. How’s everything going?” he asked.

“Everything is good. Everyone from 51 is here and Natalie said it’s okay to take Eden on short walks around the hospital,” I said.

“That’s great news. I’ll head back in a minute. I just need to shower,” he said.

“Take your time. Everything is good here.”

“Alright. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

We said goodbye and I hung up. I looked around the room at all of the people. Each and every one of them had impacted my life in some way. I watched as they interacted with my daughter, who had just woken up after letting out a particularly hard cough.

“It’s about time for a repeat scan to see how Eden is progressing. We should get her back to the room,” Natalie said after a while.

Everyone said their goodbyes, hugging me and waving at Eden. Casey and Dawson followed behind as Dr. Manning and I maneuvered Eden back up to her room. When we got there, a technician from radiology was waiting to take Eden for scans. I kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek as Natalie pushed medicine through her IV to put Eden to sleep so she would stay still for the scans.

“We’ll bring her back in a little while,” the technician said, wheeling my daughter out of the room.

I felt my heart break just a little bit at the sight of my daughter leaving, but I knew she was in more than capable hands. Casey and Dawson pulled me into a hug and I took a deep breath, allowing the comfort of my best friends envelope me. Severide came back a little while after they had taken Eden. When he got there, Casey and Dawson left, heading back to their house to get some sleep.

“You look exhausted,” Severide said, kissing my forehead.

“Thanks, babe. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” I teased, burying my face in his chest and breathing in his freshly showered scent.

“Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when they have the scan results,” he said, sitting down in one of the chairs and settling me on his lap.

I leaned into him, closing my eyes. The exhaustion that ran rampant through my body was so much more than just tiredness. The whole experience had left me emotionally depleted. I sighed, letting the desperate need for sleep consume me.


End file.
